Suite Horizons
by Lividio Nova
Summary: August 8th, 2010. Launch day of humanity’s latest achievement: the USG Ishimura. CEC holds a contest for 4 winners to tag along for the maiden voyage. As Zack, Cody, Carey and Moseby mysteriously are all picked, something's up. IT'S FINALLY DONE! 3/21/10
1. Prologue: Dire Need

Suite Horizons – A Suite Life on Deck/Dead Space FanFiction Story

**Authors Note/Disclaimer: I do not own Disney, Dead Space or Concordance Extraction Corp. and write this simply for the pleasure of doing so. More to come so enjoy & review!**

Prologue: _Dire Need_

The following is an excerpt taken from a CNN Special Report aired July 10th, 2010 on the growing need for resources and the mission behind the Ishimura...

Good evening everyone, I'm Soledad O'Brien. Tonight, we shall take you on a journey around the globe and into the final frontier to discover what led to the construction of the deep space mining vessel, the USG Ishimura. With the vessel's launch less than a month away, we'd like to focus our attention on the somewhat tragic circumstances that led to this course of action, and a new age for humanity. Earth. The green planet, our home. For thousands of years, humanity has been cradled and nurtured on this little piece of paradise in a hostile universe. Sadly, we have not returned the favor very well. Over those same years, we have slowly drained her resources to the point now that war seems to be the only viable action to cure a nation's demands for raw materials. The now infamous attempted Russian takeover of Georgia earlier this year, only a little less than a decade after a previous international incident, is a prime example. Georgia has oil, the most valued commodity in this day and age. We have become dependent on it as our primary source of fuel from power plants to engines, to even being a key ingredient in many skin care products…

…this brings us to the Ishimura. Named after and the brainchild of Hideiki Ishimura, the famed Japanese physicist whose breakthroughs gave us the faster-than-light shock point drive system, the Ishimura is the first of the "Planet-Crackers". Over 10,000 feet long and boasting a crew of around 7,356 plus up to 200 guests, dignitaries or specialized personnel, she is the largest man-made space faring object ever, and considering the belated retirement of the ancient US Space Shuttle last year, this is a huge jump. Equipped with eight massive lifting tethers, the Ishimura can latch onto and haul almost anything process-able in space into its massive mining facility, to be smelted and turned into usable raw materials. Run by the newly formed Concordance Extraction Corporation, a conglomerate of terrestrial mining companies from the US, China, Japan, Brazil, the European Union, Mexico and Canada, the Ishimura sets off on August 8th. Yet noticeably absent from the picture are the Russians. Considering that most western nations plus Japan withdrew their ambassadors after the 2nd Georgian Conflict, this is not surprising. Russia has continually mocked the Ishimura program, going so far as to stating that it will be "The greatest blunder and waste of money in human history." according to Russia's Prime Minister, Mirant Zukav…

…so what does this all spell for humanity? With the advent of the Ishimura and her planned sister ships, the final frontier may finally be within our grasp. Only time will tell. Sooner or later, time will tell. Thank you, and goodnight.


	2. Final Preparations

Chapter One: _Final Preparations_

Edwards AFB, San Bernardino County, California

The harsh sun shines down on the USG Ishimura as she sits on the tarmac at Edwards Air Force Base on a particularly hot August 7th. The ship is so large that she takes up almost the entire air base's land area. Her captain, Alexander Bergeron, looks up through his aviator glasses at her enormous bulk.

"I still have trouble believing that this thing will fly, and I'm her biggest supporter!" Alex remarked. His first officer and longtime friend Judsen White is standing next to him.

"Think about how the Wright brothers felt. We are trying to do the same thing. Just times 1 trillion in scale." responded White.

"Fair enough. But I still don't see why we have to have civilians along for the ride. It's hard enough containing the media circus, but this contest? Total publicity stunt."

"Considering Concordance signs our paychecks, I wouldn't complain."

Alex notices a speck on the horizon coming from the base command center. As the object grows larger, it turns out to be a jeep.

White remarks on the approaching vehicle first. "I'll bet that the results for the contest are in."

"Oh really? Wonder what famous celebrity I get to ferry around today?" said Alex sarcastically.

The jeep pulls up and the driver silently hands White a piece of paper before driving off back to the base. He looks at the paper with an amused expression on his face. After a moment, White hands it to Alex.

"Let's see, Concordance Extraction Corporation official contest results blah blah blah… and what's this? The winners are… two adolescent teens, their single mom and a hotel manager. Ugh, that is soooo anticlimactic." Alex throws the paper over his shoulder and walks toward the Ishimura. White follows, remarking on the note.

"And did the anticlimactic memo tell you when they'd be arriving?"

Alex smiles and turns to White.

"Why tonight good man! And we take off, or attempt to take off, at 11 o' clock sharp tomorrow morning!"

White looks surprised. "Why on Earth would CEC cut it this close? Surely the board realizes that this is going to be no room for error here to stay on schedule?"

"Since when does the board care? Anyway, we should-", Alex is cut off by the roar of a jet passing by, landing on the one unoccupied runway. "Well, looks like they're here early. Let's go say hello."

The two climb into an unoccupied jeep nearby and speed off in the direction of the plane.


	3. On Approach

Chapter 2: _On Approach_

CEC-Owned Boeing 737 Executive Transport Jet – Somewhere Over California

Zach, Cody, Carey, Moseby and some assorted CEC officials are all sitting around, clearly bored, as the plane approaches Edwards. Carey and Moseby are playing a game of cards, Cody is buried in a book and Zach, after failing at flirting with the flight attendants, is snoozing in his seat. A large slap mark is visible on his right cheek. The pilot buzzes the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, we are uh, approaching Edwards and beginning our descent now if you would please fasten your seatbelts. Also, you may want to take a look out the left side windows for quite the sight."

Everyone on the plane, eager at something else to do, scramble over to the left side and are greeted with a view of the Ishimura as the plane comes out of the clouds. Zach is surprisingly the first to form a cohesive sentence out of the group's awe.

"Geez that's a big sucker. We're going up in that?!"

His comment seems to shock the group back to reality as everyone except Cody begins chatting excitedly. Cody is off by himself, staring out the window towards the ship, deep in thought. Moseby notices and walks over.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Cody turns from the window and brushes off his thoughts.

"Oh, nothing, just a strange feeling, that's all."

The two return to their seats as the jet goes on approach. Cody still seems unsettled, thoughts churning in his head.

"_Yeah, strange feelings…"_


	4. Diversionary Tactics

Chapter 3: _Diversionary Tactics_

Alex and Mr. White pull up to the jet in the now dust-coated jeep. The boarding stairs are attached and people are making their way off the plane. Zach is the first of the group of four down the stairs, with the rest following, and Cody last. Alex notices Cody's dazed and disconnected behavior. White begins to get out but is stopped by Alex.

"Judsen, what's the name of that one? The one that looks totally out of it?"

"That would be Cody I believe."

Cody, hearing his name, looks around but the two officers quickly busy themselves with some papers. Cody simply shakes his head and continues off the plane. Once he is a safe distance away, Alex puts the jeep in gear and follows the entourage.

"I've heard of Cody before, top of his class, honors student, total nerd…"

Alex and White laugh and begin discussing how to keep the guests entertained while in flight.

"Alex, what could possibly keep a nerd, a jock, a mother/lounge singer and a hotel manager entertained all at once?"

"Hell if I know, let's see, we could send Cody to Dr. Cross in Hydroponics or perhaps let him intern with Dr. Kyne in the Chem. Lab?"

"Oh well thought out Alex, only one down and four to go."

"Hey, you try coming up with something then smart one."

"How about we send the mother to the Crew Deck to sing in the evenings at the Swan Tavern on E Deck? Then have the manager run the place?"

"And Zach?"

"From what little I know, he's a romancer/womanizer/partier. As in, I have no idea."

Alex stares out the windshield in thought, staring at Zach, who was already cracking bad jokes to everyone else around him. Suddenly, Alex's face lights up as an idea hits him. He pulls out an iPhone and dials a number. White looks amused.

"I thought there was a ban on texting or using phones while driving in California?"

Alex simply responds with a middle finger on the steering wheel pointed at White. Someone picks up on the other end of the phone.

"Yes?"

"Lt. Ohura, please get me CICIL."

"Yes sir."

There is a moment of silence as the line is switched over. A British-accented female computer voice picks up.

"At your service Captain."

"CICIL, download everything on Zach Martin and perform a behavioral analysis on his actions. Determine the best way to keep him pre-occupied."

"Right away."

Alex hangs up, puts down the phone and glares at White.

"Relieved?"

"You have no idea."

The phone rings again. Alex puts it on speaker, so as to not crash the jeep.

"Results?"

"Brief behavioral analysis indicates a longing to be the alpha male. Mr. Martin seeks to be popular and takes pride in his physical strength, specifically when beating up on his brother. Also, there is a longing for affection form the opposite sex, which could lead to errors in judgment that could in turn lead to failures of interaction and decision making in multiple areas."

Alex stops the jeep and looks at the phone in his lap, exasperated. White jumps in to the conversation.

"And where would you recommend we put him?"

There is silence for a moment as the computer is processing the question.

"Mining or Engineering. Physical labor could both help improve his athletic strength and simultaneously prevent mingling with female members of the crew and potential accidental or intentional conceptions."

Alex rolls his eyes.

"Thank you CICIL."

Alex looks up only to realize that the entourage has already made it to the command center a mile down the runway. White sees this and buckles his seat belt instinctively. Alex floors the jeep down the tarmac, and as the two speed off, a single light flickers to life on the Ishimura, which is otherwise dark, then disappears as quickly as it came.


	5. Premonitions

Chapter 4: _Premonitions_

Even after the extravagant dinner party, wild rave after-party and a midnight poker tournament, Cody, unlike everyone else, is still awake in bed. Despite the sleep creeping upon his consciousness, thoughts are swirling around in his head. A sudden loud snore from Zach nearby reminds Cody of his need for sleep. As he falls into a deep sleep, the thoughts permeate his dream world…

…and an unfamiliar environment takes shape. Cody is standing at a T junction in a cold, dark hallway, facing what appears to be a massive blast door. A scrolling sign above reads something in an unfamiliar language of strange symbols. A blue hologram on the door has similar text, except with a question mark at the end of the line. Cody reaches out to the hologram and…

CODY!

Cody is rudely awakened by Zach standing over his bed. Everyone else is still asleep.

"Why'd you yell?"

"I didn't. I just whispered. Anyway, do you know where the water fountain is?"

Annoyed, Cody motions down the hallway out of the barracks everyone is residing in. Zach mumbles a thank you and walks off. Cody begins to fall asleep again…

The hallway takes shape again. This time, the hologram on the door is in English. It simply says "Unlocked". The sign above the door is blank. Cody reaches out to the hologram, as before. The words change to "Open?" along with a Yes or No prompt. Cody thinks for a moment, and then presses yes. The door comes to life, as a large horizontal bar across the door retracts into the wall and the door separates in two, retracting into the walls. A smoky room is revealed beyond, steam hissing and machinery clanking around far away. As he walks into the room, the door shuts behind him. The hologram changes to "Locked" and turns orange. Cody walks towards a bluish light across the massive room. Above him, the vague outline of the bottom of some massive horizontal cylinder is visible. It stretches from one end of the room to the other and is giving off much of the steam that makes it almost impossible to see.

"_Where am I?"_

Some unintelligible whispering can be heard echoing around the room from an unidentifiable source. Cody approaches the source of the blue light, a set of holograms, this time a large console with what appears to be a keyboard and monitor. Everything is in the bizarre text, yet Cody feels something guiding his senses. His hands move themselves to the keyboard and begin typing instructions that Cody can't even understand. The sound of a wrench falling to the metallic floor in the distance scares Cody senseless, yet he is unable to tear himself away from the console. Suddenly his hands stop. Some sort of message pops up on the screen. Another sound behind him causes Cody to whirl around. The room is empty. He turns around, relieved, and looks back at the screen. It's blank and turned orange, flickering with static.

"_Am I crazy or what? What the hell is this?"_

The hologram replies in the form of a message, this time in English.

"_No."_

"_Huh?"_

Cody blinks rapidly, trying to confirm what his eyes were telling him. After opening them again, the hologram has no message. It has returned to blue and has the prompt again, now in English.

"_Override control and begin sequence? Yes or No?"_

Cody tentatively reaches for yes and presses it.

The room springs to life. Lights flicker on and a series of three small booming explosions of air pressure emanate from the cylinder. Segmented sections of the cylinder begin to spin in opposite directions from each other and the room starts to shake. Cody stares in awe at the series of events in front of him. Cody suddenly feels a presence behind him. He turns and sees that the wall has dissolved into a black void that slowly starts sucking everything out of the room. Cody hangs on for dear life to the console, but it rips free of the floor and flies into the void. Darkness envelops Cody as he falls deep into the abyss…

…and wakes up screaming. Everyone is gathered around him and the lights are on in the barracks. They all look horrified and worried. Zach is closest.

"Dude, you alright?"

Cody sits up in bed.

"I had an awful dream…"

"No kidding. You woke up the entire base screaming bloody murder and saying random stuff in like, I dunno, Latin or something for almost 15 minutes."

"Wow. What time is it?"

"6:45, wakeup call was in 30 minutes anyway, but still."

The two get up and walk off as everyone else begins moving about, getting ready for the long day ahead.


	6. Welcome Aboard the USG Ishimura

Chapter 5: _Welcome Aboard the USG Ishimura_

The base mess hall is swarming with activity as over seven thousand crew members of the Ishimura are shuttled through in ten minute breakfast periods. Off at table towards the middle of the room, the officers, including White, Bergeron, Carey, Moseby, Zach and Cody eat their waffles at a more leisurely pace. There is mostly small talk amongst the table but Bergeron is answering some questions for the guests.

"The way gravity works on the ship is particularly interesting. The majority of the ship has adjustable, but permanent artificial gravity. However, some areas have the capability to toggle it on or off entirely."

Moseby and Carey are listening intently, Cody is sort of listening and Zach is rearranging his sausage and bacon into the shape of the ship. An announcement comes over the PA.

"_Attention: all Ishimura officers report to the briefing room in 15 minutes. Also, Captain Bergeron report to the commandant's office immediately."_

Annoyed at being cut off, the Captain excuses himself as the officers begin to hurry along what is left of their meals.

"It has been a pleasure this morning, and if you all have any more questions, I'll happily answer them on the tour later. Until then."

Alex rises, putting on his hat, then strolls off towards the exit whistling _The Sorcerer's Apprentice_. The PA buzzes again.

"_Marion Moseby and Carey, Zach and Cody Martin, please make your way to the main entrance to the command center. Thank you."_

After a moment for Zach to eat the Sausimura as he called it, the group strolls off through the exit and down the hall to the main reception area. A surprisingly tall and thin Asian man is waiting for them. He walks towards the group as they approach.

"Are you all the four lucky guests?"

The man has a slight accent to his otherwise perfect English. Cody responds.

"Yeah, we are. Wait a sec, I know you! You're Hideiki Ishimura! The chief designer of the ship!"

"You are correct sir. Captain Bergeron asked that I escort you all aboard and assist in getting you all settled. Please follow me, our ride is waiting."

The group walks out into the harsh California sun. The tarmac is chaotic, with people running everywhere, trying to load the ship and prep it for departure. Sitting on a taxiway a little ways from the entrance, some sort of craft sits on the ground, spewing steam. As they approach it, the CEC and Ishimura logo slowly materialize on the side out of the heat waves surrounding it. White lettering on the side identifies it as the: Ishimura Executive Shuttle Number 9 "_Athena"_. The shuttle's door and gangplank automatically open and deploy as the group approaches. They board and Hideiki takes the controls. CICIL acknowledges him.

"_Voice and facial recognition systems enabled. Welcome back, Mr. Ishimura. Shuttle ready for liftoff."_

"Very well CICL, begin auto-launch and plot course for the primary hangar bay."

At these words, the shuttle roars to life and begins to hover off the ground. Three engines in the rear propel the shuttle towards the Ishimura herself. Everyone looks out the windows in awe as CICIL pilots the shuttle on a sweeping vista course around the stern, past the two massive towers at the ship's rear. The shuttle continues, past the four tethers on the starboard side, past the bridge and pulls a complete 180 as it realigns itself on track for landing on the Flight Deck, which is located amidships.

"_Gravity tethers engaged, automatic docking procedure initiated. Please stand by, on final approach to bay one, hangar one."_

CICIL expertly guides the shuttle to a flawless landing inside the hangar. As the tiny craft enters the behemoth hangar, the blast doors slowly slide closed behind it. The shuttle comes to a gentle landing and the doors open.

"_Thank you for flying aboard the Executive Shuttle today and welcome aboard the USG Ishimura. You may now exit the shuttle."_

Everyone obliges and exits except for Hideiki, who remains inside.

"Sorry my friends, I must return this thing to ground, we need all the cargo lifting capacity we can get! Just listen to CICIL, she'll guide you."

With that, the shuttle doors close and the craft lifts up, turns around and proceeds out the opening doors. The doors shut again and the gang of four is left in the completely empty hangar. Moseby is the first to speak.

"Now what?"

As if in response to his question, the walkway they are on lights up towards another large door leading into the ship.

"Oh. Thank you."

Following Moseby's lead, the group proceeds down the walkway and approach the door. Cody realizes it is similar to the one in his dream in that it has a circular orange hologram that reads "Locked". Above, a scrolling sign reads: Flight Lounge. Upon being approached, the hologram flashes "Authorization?"

"Ah, I'll handle this, boys."

Carey glares at him.

"And singer."

Moseby puts himself in some sort of ready stance and, with hand motions towards the door, attempts to open it.

"Open sesame!"

The hologram is unaffected. Moseby doesn't lose confidence.

"Open the door!"

No results.

"Please?"

The hologram flashes "Access Denied" for a few seconds before returning to "Locked". Carey walks up and moves Moseby aside.

"Perhaps the feminine touch?"

The other three groan. Ignoring them, Carey asks in her most gentle and kind voice,

"Please open the door, would you?"

The hologram replies.

"No."

Carey seems annoyed. Zach walks up and nudges her out of the way.

"Mom, let a man handle this."

The other three groan. Again. Zach walks right up to the hologram and says,

"Open up, or I'll hurt you!"

The hologram is unchanged for a moment, and then flashes a response.

"No. And get a mint."

Everyone but Zach bursts out laughing. Agitated he kicks the door, receiving a sore toe in return. Cody walks up to the door, but nobody else is paying attention.

"Cody Martin. Unlock door."

The hologram makes a "Ding!" and turns blue. It now reads "Open?" The others are stunned. Cody seems pleased with himself.

"Yes."

The door opens, retracting into the walls. The lights in the next room flicker to life, revealing a large waiting area. Cody strolls in, followed by the others who are in either shock or pain, depending on whether they're Zach or not. A large screen on the wall that appears to show arrivals and departures changes to black, then plays a video. A collage of images of the Ishimura flicker past on screen in a slideshow.

"_Welcome Cody, to the USG Ishimura. The Ishimura is the first planet-cracker class vessel, and the first of three sister ships. The Ishimura holds the record for largest man-made object in existence, and is expected to have a record breaking ratio of dead weight to refined product, at 3:2 respectively. Whether you will be joining the officers and crew of the Ishimura, or simply are simply visiting, I, CICIL, the sentient artificial intelligence of the Ishimura, Captain Alexander Bergeron and the seven thousand strong Ishimura Crew welcome you, and we hope your stay is a pleasant one. Concordance Extraction Corporation: Powering Humanity into the future."_

The video ends and the monitor returns to a shuttle schedule. Moseby is intrigued.

"So let me get his straight. This ship is alive? And can think for itself?!"

The answer comes over the PA system.

"_Yes Marion, in a way. I am the Central Ishimura Computerized Intelligence with Linguistics. My directive is to assist in the day to day operations of this vessel in any way, shape or form as requested of me by the Captain or his crew. My local objective right now is to guide you to the Bridge as per the Captain's orders. Please proceed through the now opening door."_

A door on the far side of the room opens, revealing an elevator. The sign above says "Elevator to Tram Station". The group, still quite confused, enters the elevator. The doors close and the car moves upward only for a few seconds before stopping and the doors reopen. A large platform is in front of the elevator, with another waiting area. A screen on the wall has a list of times and destinations with the title: Tram Schedule. Zach walks out on the platform and looks both ways down the large tunnel.

"And the tram is…where?"

CICIL responds, in concert with sudden noises in the tunnel.

"_Ship-wide tram system initialized. Tram now arriving at Flight Deck station and departing for the Bridge. Please do not forget any of your luggage."_

A large tram car glides down the tunnel and jerks to a stop at the platform, its door opening. Zach cautiously leads the way aboard the tram car. As soon as they were all on, the door shuts and the car lurches away from the station.

"_Tram activated. En route to: The Bridge. End of the line. Access to the Communications Array, the Central Computer Core and Mining Administration is obtained via the elevators on the Bridge. Thank you. Arrival is estimated in approximately two minutes."_

The group sits in silence throughout the ride, listening to the lousy elevator music and the sounds of the ship around them. After a few minutes, the tram stops.

"_Now arriving at The Bridge. Thank you for using the Ishimura tram system."_

"Well, I guess this is it." Moseby muses.

Cody leads the group off the tram and into the station. The station looks almost identical to the one before, except for a slightly more bright color scheme, rather than the dark, brown and eerie Flight Deck, the Bridge was much brighter and better lit. The group follows the hallway leading away from the station only to encounter another locked door. After some persuasion from Cody, the door opens into a sort of anteroom. CICL conveniently explains its purpose.

"_All persons wishing to enter the secure environment of the Bridge must undergo a mandatory security check. Please standby."_

The door shuts and locks behind them and the one on the other end of the room locks as well. A voice is heard from the one-way glass wall on one side of the room. One pane of glass turns transparent, revealing a security officer on the other side.

"Hey guys, I'm Alyssa Vincent, chief of security. I know you're all clean."

She looks at Zach. He is biting his fingernails.

"Figuratively at least. Let 'em through CICIL."

"_Scan bypassed. Thank you for your patience."_

The far door opens. Vincent walks out of view and the glass turns opaque again. Still chewing his nails, Zach leads on through the door, turns the corner and faces another door. Locked. Again.

"_Error: Level 5 officer clearance required for entry."_

A muffled voice is heard on the other side of the door.

"_For god's sake CICIL, open the frickin door! It's just the Martins and Moseby!"_

"_Apologies. I am not allowed to circumvent this particular security measure."_

"_Oh screw it."_

Someone is heard walking up to the door. Silence for a moment. The hologram changes to "Overridden", then after a moment, "Unlocked". Cody presses it.


	7. All Systems Not Quite Go

Chapter 6: _All Systems Not Quite Go_

The door opens to reveal the most amazing sight any of the four had seen yet on the ship. They walked into a massive, multistory Bridge with officers and officials walking all over. The room is split vertically into four levels, each with a walkway circling the entire room. On either side of the room, two parallel banks of elevators served as access to other administrative areas of the deck. Curved stairs beyond the elevators served the four levels of the room. They hug the walls, which beyond the elevators are almost entirely glass. At the center of the opposite side of the room, the glass ends, and a massive monitor which overlaps the glass on either side hangs on the wall, displaying the general ship status and other useful tidbits of info. Below it is a circular security door with a sign above it that simply says "Captain's Nest." Beyond, it is clear the room is high up in the ship as it commands an impressive view of the California desert. Carey is gaping at the scene, Moseby is in shock, Zach is caring a little less about his nails and Cody has a huge smile on his face, occasionally mouthing "wow" every now and then. Vincent is standing near the door, having just exited the security station after waiving them through. Standing at about six feet and with short brown hair, she is very imposing with the pistol noticeably slung at her waist.

"Sorry about that, CICIL is picky about security."

"_Blame the coders."_

CICIL's sarcastic retort shocks the awe-struck group back to reality.

"Oh shut it CICIL. Anyway, welcome to the Bridge! Pretty sweet huh? Oh, almost forgot, Captain Bergeron is waiting for you all in the nest." Vincent leads the group across the room and high above them, on level three, Mr. White looks down over the railing at them. He is standing in what is essentially the main command platform, having a perfect view of the main monitor and a large hologram projector in the middle of the floor. Various officers are sitting in chairs at consoles along the edges of the platform. The projector in the center is displaying a rotating model of Earth, with the Ishimura, International Space Station and various satellites marked and being tracked in real time. White's phone rings.

"White here."

Alex is on the other end.

"Problem: these engines have never been started before. As in, we have to go do it in Engineering. Manually."

"And this is a problem how?"

"I have to literally be in the engine room to start them, and the room heats up to almost 200 degrees Celsius when those things are running full blast."

"One: Not my problem. Two: The solution is called a RIG sir."

"I don't care how great those stupid hazard suits are! We have never had to test those things in environments like that! I know they are _supposed_ to be fine in high heat, but I don't feel like finding out."

"Why don't you just go to engineering and convince someone else to do it?"

"Oh fine. I guess the group is tagging along. Actually… keep the manager and singer occupied. I think the twins should have the honor of helping to launch this thing."

"You not seriously put THEM in suits are you?"

"You didn't hear anything."

"Yes sir."

White hangs up and laughs to himself. He gets Vincent's attention below and after a series of overly complex hand signals; she figures out his instructions and splits the group. Alex exits the Nest at this point and he and the twins head for the tram. Carey and Moseby are shuttled into an elevator and whisked away to another area. Entering the station, the new trio boards the tram and it speeds off for what will become a familiar place for Cody and Zach. The Engineering Deck.


	8. Ignition Imminent

Chapter 7: _Ignition Imminent_

Chief Engineer Jacob Temple is sitting in the engineering control room, deeply involved in a hologram that seems to depict a pump of some kind. The sound of the door opening from the tram station behind him goes unnoticed until he hears the voice of Alex and two unfamiliar voices accompanying him. Temple sends the hologram away and rises from his chair.

"Captain Bergeron, only one reason you're down here."

"Two actually. I'd like you to meet two of our four lucky guests, Zach and Cody. Zach and Cody, Chief Engineer Jacob Temple."

Standing at over 6'5", Jacob Temple made for a very imposing person. In perfect shape, he was arguably one of the strongest men on the ship, and another long time friend of Alex and White since high school. Cody seems a little intimidated, but Zach doesn't hesitate and immediately introduces himself.

"Zach Martin, nice to meet you."

"And very nice to meet you Zach. I hear you might become a regular down here on this deck."

"Oh dear…"

Alex nudges Cody meaningfully at the sudden remark.

"Now Cody, Zach will be fine down here, with Temple and the entire engineering crew to look after him, it'll be hard to screw anything up."

Alex winks at Temple, who smiles.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence in me you guys."

"No problem!"

Alex claps Zach on the shoulder.

"Now down to business. We need three RIG suits. Unless of course you want to stay on the ground…?

"NO!" was the unanimous response from both Zach and Cody.

"Well then! Mr. Temple if you will?"

"Right this way."

The group walks towards a door on the left of the circular control room. The sign above reads "RIG Preparation and Engine Access: Engineering Personnel Only". As the group leaves, a hologram pops up in the control room. The mysterious symbols flash across screen for a moment, and then disappear. The hologram goes away.

Emerging into the preparation room, a line of RIG suits are mounted on the wall. Alex and Temple go directly to their personal suits, and they slip it on over their regular uniforms. The suits come to life, projecting holograms in front of their users and running self checks. CICIL announces their readiness.

"_RIG synchronization completed. Ready for hazardous environment conditions."_

"And what about us?"

Cody and Zach are still standing at the door.

"Oh."

Alex turns to Temple, who has a solution.

"Zach, I had one outfitted for you since you'd be working here, but I think I have one for Cody as well."

He thumbs around a bit amongst the line of suits.

"Aha! Got 'em."

He pulls two down, each seemingly the perfect size for the twin it was meant for. Temple gives them to Zach and Cody and watches, amused, as the two both attempt to put them on. Cody is successful first, after falling over only a few times. Zach took a little longer, falling over continuously and even somehow getting his foot through the right arm sleeve, which took a while to fix. After almost thirty minutes, the group was ready. Exiting the room, they enter an airlock, which admits them into a long metal hallway. Cody can't shake the feeling of déjà vu in his head. Proceeding down the corridor, they approach a T junction, with two blast doors on either side. The scrolling sign on the one to the left reads: "Return to Control Room". The other simply reads "Engine Room". Both holograms read "Locked".

"_Executive authorization required."_

"Alexander Bergeron. 678452063. Open door."

"_Welcome, access granted."_

Cody is hit with a sudden realization. This WAS from the dream. The door opens, revealing a massive, steam filled and dark chamber beyond. The lights flicker to life. Above, the ceiling is actually a massive horizontal cylinder, with exposed gears, wires and pipes. Below, through the grate floor, another similar cylinder. At the far end of the room, a large hologram and console sit in front of a large support beam. Alex strides over to it, and then turns to the twins.

"Zach, Cody, I present to you the biggest achievement on this ship. The shock-point drive! The world's first faster than light engine, capable of traveling exactly 1.1 times the speed of light at maximum power. These two engines above and below us, plus the two smaller ones on either side of us in the other engine towers, can propel this ship faster than anything else in the world. Now, sit back and enjoy."

Outstretching his arms and looking up to the massive machine above, Alex utters three words.

"Initiate ignition sequence!"

The lights flicker, followed by three resounding booms from the cylinders above and below. Sounding somewhat excited, CICIL announces the obvious.

"_Ignition sequence initiated. Please stand by."_

Three massive gears begin to spin inside the cylinders, just poking out from the innards of the engine. A significant wind picks up in the room, blowing the twin's hair every which way. A whine starts, small at first, but growing louder by the second. The temperature in the room begins to grow. On the bridge, the officers fly into a frenzy as the sequence starts. The time is 12:30pm, August 8th, 2010. Right on time. Back in the engine room, things are getting chaotic. The room is shaking significantly, and the engines are emitting booming "pulses" about every two seconds. Suddenly, a surprise.

"_Engines ready. Please confirm ignition?"_

A hologram pops up on the console behind Alex with a yes/no prompt.

"Cody? I'll give you the honor."

Alex steps out of the way. Cody's eyes are wide as he slowly approaches the console. He looks back at Zach, who nods. He turns back to the console and, with a sudden determination, jams the "yes" on the console. The lights flicker again and it seemed as if all the air was sucked out of the room, and a strange tingling sensation fills Cody. There is a moment of complete silence. Then it all happens in a rush. The gears screech to a halt and reverse direction. A roar surges down the engine tubes, deafening everyone in the room. Flames burst from the ceiling, offshoots of a column of flame that runs down the tube and out the back of the ship. The room starts shaking even more, nearly knocking Zach to the floor and surprising everyone else.

"_Engines firing. All systems functioning at 100% power. Vertical inertial thrusters engaged. Docking clamps released. Ishimura away."_

Cody turns to the others, who are all smiling and clapping, although the roar of the engines drowns out any celebration. Alex motions towards the door and they all sprint towards it. Before closing the door, Cody looks thoughtfully back into the room that he had initially feared.

"_Well that wasn't so bad."_

***Author's Request***

I'm getting a lot of hits and reads, but only a few reviews from a few (namely the same 3 or 4) people. More reviews = More chapters! It's that easy!


	9. Friendly Flying Reminders

Chapter 8: _Friendly Flying Reminders_

Reemerging onto the bridge, Cody and Zach are greeted by resounding applause. The view out the window is now that of the desert, albeit from a little more high up than before. Carey runs over and hugs both of them, while Moseby settles for a handshake with the two. Alex walks past the reunited group and takes his place at the helm. Despite being a spaceship, the Ishimura, amusingly enough is steered with a large, old fashioned wheel. Surrounding it are a few floating holograms displaying various tidbits of information useful to someone steering the ship.

"I'm so proud of you two! My little boys!"

"MOM!"

"Sorry."

"We aren't done yet Ms. Martin."

Alex turns his head to address them.

"I am about to take us up. So please find something to hold onto. I don't know how smooth this thing flies."

They oblige, sitting down in some vacant seats near the helm. Alex presses something on a hologram. A "fasten your seatbelt" sign humorously pops up on holograms and monitors all over the ship, accompanied by a "ding!" The PA sounds. Alex addresses the crew in a fantastic Mark Hamill Joker impersonation.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We are floating above Edwards Air Force Base currently and are about to truly take off. A few reminders before I hit the big red button in front of me that says 'DO NOT PRESS': this is a non smoking flight, and tampering with smoke detectors will get you thrown in the brig…"_

The crew has a few laughs.

"…_or placed in an escape pod and blasted home early. Hell, I may do that anyway. Sounds fun. Additionally, flirting with crew members is strictly prohibited, I mean, I know I'm good looking and all but please! That would be creepy."_

More laughter.

"_Meals will be served at 7am, 1pm, and 7:30pm for breakfast, lunch and dinner respectively. If you are hungry during a shift, feel free to bang your head on the wall and ask yourself why you forgot a snack that morning. In the event of a medical emergency, please run around like a headless chicken until Dr. Kyne and the crash team, or Chef Paolo can get to you. I hear he has a wonderful chicken casserole planned for tonight…_

The bridge officers are practically rolling on the floor crying of laughter at this point.

_Also, starting tomorrow, the ship wide store will open, and you will be able to give me all your hard earned money right back for useless souvenirs, a prank button that if sat on triggers a security lockdown of the area by CICIL and… oh yes. A Sarah Palin bobblehead._

An image of the bobblehead pops up on all the screens. The entire crew roars with laughter.

_Finally, if you want to call and tell me how I should replace Jay Leno on the Tonight Show, again, you can call the bridge, or any other part of the ship for that matter using conveniently located intra-ship phones scattered about the decks, or your RIG's personal communicator. If you have a complaint, please dial 1, then 888-DON'T-CARE and Chief Vincent will be along shortly to tell you how wrong you are with her very convincing methods. Oh! Almost forgot, tram service runs on a schedule that is posted in every station. And for you lazy people in The Tavern down on the Crew Deck who have not confirmed readiness to leave, do you want me to send Vincent to come... oh, damn she's rolling around on the floor…. Do you want ME to come down there? You're ruining my Christmas tree up here!_

The "Christmas Tree", a hologram with icons reporting whether parts of the ship are airtight and ready to go into space or not is all green, except for one red dot square in the middle of the board. A picture of it pops up on the monitors all over the ship. The crew is laughing so hard, it hurts now. After a moment, the one red dot turns green.

"_Well that took long enough. Okay people here we go. Flight attendants prep for departure. Oh, wait! I was too cheap to hire any! Wahahahaha! Sorry Zach, no chances of getting slapped again I'm afraid…"_

Zach turns a very deep shade of red as everyone on the ship is laughing at him.

"_Ha! I'm just messin' with ya! Let's see, big red button, big red button… ah! Here it is. Wait a second! That's not red! That's Texas Aggie Maroon! CICIL! How dare you! I'm a Longhorn fan!"_

The ship is filled with a mix of laughter, booing and cheering at CICIL's blasphemous tribute to college football.

"_Apologies Captain. But it is for your own good."_

"_What?! No it's not! Bah, I'll deal with you later. Anyway, let's just go before I actually kill someone with my jokes here…"_

With the crew still in fits of laughter around him, Alex presses the large, maroon colored button at the center of the console next to the wheel.

"_Manual override initiated. Autopilot disengaged. Bridge now in control."_

"_You mean I'm in control CICIL."_

"_Whatever sir."_

"_Alright that's it! Who taught the AI to backtalk?!"_

The PA clicks off, leaving the crew laughing yet again. Cody crawls to the helm, clutching his sides form laughing so much. Alex reaches down and helps him up.

"You alright there Cody?"

Cody coughs a bit, but manages to nod a "yes".

"Lovely! Why don't you help me take her up? Take the wheel."

Alex steps aside, letting Cody take the wheel.

"Easy does it, now, give me 20 degrees to starboard. I'll do the rest with the engines."

Cody slowly turned the wheel and was surprised at just how responsive the ship was. The Ishimura was no unwieldy elephant, she was a space faring greyhound.

"That's it, now, keep it there."

The ship maneuvered away from Edwards and began a slight ascent towards the heavens. Zach had gotten to his feet by this point and walks over to the helm.

"Hey, let me try!"

"No dude, not right now."

"Oh move over!"

Zach shoves Cody off the wheel and takes it for himself.

"Hey!"

Cody responds by pushing Zach off, bumping the wheel in the process. Alex sees it happen.

"Oh dear. I have a bad feeling about this…"

The Ishimura, to the horror of those on the ground, heels over to port suddenly. The artificial gravity on the ship keeps everyone rooted to the floor, but the new 65 degree incline is rather disorienting. The twins keep on fighting, knocking the wheel around, and thus sending the ship on a roller coaster ride for the entire world to see on live TV. Zach bumps the PA switch in the process. The entire crew can now see and hear what is going on at the helm on every monitor and hologram on the ship.

"_Stop fighting you two!"_

"_He started it!"_

"_I don't care Cody! You are going to make the entire crew sick! This isn't a roller coaster!"_

"_Then get him off me!"_

"_Zach! Get off of Cody!"_

"_No!"_

"_Fine then! CICIL! Reengage autopilot!"_

"_Autopilot reinitialized. The you are no longer in control."_

"_You mean the twins aren't."_

"_Yeah, yeah Captain, whatever."_

"_STOP THAT! Now… wait, is the PA on? Turn that thing off! That's the last time I let those two-"_

The PA clicks off abruptly, leaving the Ishimura crew quite confused. The ship levels off and, under CICIL's slightly better piloting skills, soars up and away, into a new chapter for humanity and the Martin twins…


	10. Of Pranks and Quarantines

Chapter 9: _Of Pranks and Quarantines_

"_Beginning final ascension. T-Minus two minutes to atmospheric departure."_

"And somehow we are still alive. No thanks to you two!"

Alex turns around and shoots the twins a glare before turning back to the helm.

"_T-Minus 1 minute and 30 seconds."_

The tension on the bridge was growing. This was sink-or-swim for the Ishimura, if something happened now, the ship would be doomed. Hence the reason Vincent was next to the twins, with her hands paced convincingly on their shoulders.

"_T-Minus 1 minute. Warning, preparing to enter vacuum."_

A glance at the Christmas tree still indicated all green to Alex. White walks up to Alex and whispers something into his ear. Alex glances back at the twins, and then whispers something back.

"_30 seconds."_

The view out the panoramic bridge windows was changing, from a blue sky to a black space.

"_15 seconds."_

"Prepare to enter low Earth orbit. Run final air checks."

"_Hydroponics air production at 96% capacity. Nitrogen and oxygen levels stable."_

"Thank you CICIL."

"_10 seconds."_

"Deactivate artificial gravity."

Everyone on the ship is struck by a sudden lessening of gravity, but they aren't floating around yet.

"_5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"_

Alex smiles.

"Welcome to space Zack and Cody."

"_Exiting Earth atmosphere. Thrusting into low Earth orbit. Entering vacuum. Entering zero gravity. All systems functioning normally. Congratulations Captain. Ishimura launch successful."_

Applause bursts out throughout the ship, accompanied with sudden zero gravity, to which everyone reacts with wonder.

"I love my job."

The crew is still bouncing around comically around Alex.

"Ok, fun's over. Engage artificial gravity."

Everyone plummets to the floor, crashing into things in a variety of spectacular ways.

"Note to self: warn crew before engaging gravity."

"_Note recorded sir."_

"Actually…"

Alex notices Zack standing near the door, looking around, and not paying attention.

"CICIL, adjust power to Bridge gravity floor panel number 35502 to 300% and invert gravity direction."

"_You're kidding me."_

"Oh just do it!"

The floor panel below Zack glows for a second before sending him flying into the ceiling.

"Ow! Jerk!"

Everyone bursts out laughing.

"That was payback for sending my ship topsy-turvy a few minutes ago."

Alex high fives Cody at the successful prank.

"GET ME DOWN!"

"Oh, very poor choice of words! You heard him CICIL! Shut it off!"

"Wait! No-aaaahhhhhh!"

Zack falls back to the ground, being saved at the last minute by a new toy of Alex's. Mounted on his right arm is a small device projecting a beam of energy that is holding Zack a foot off the floor.

"May I present to you, the Kinesis module! My latest creation! An addition to the RIG suit, you can pick up, throw, drop and spin anything under 1,000 pounds!"

Alex lowers Zack gently to the floor.

"Free of charge."

Zack gets up, feeling various parts of his body, expecting an injury.

"Now! Zack, Cody, it is time for you two to become an integral part of this crew. Zack? You will be apprenticed with Mr. Temple as planned. Cody? I have something special in store for you. Mr. White, take the con."

"Yes sir."

"You two? With me."

Walking for the exit, he points at the twins.

"Oh, Ms. Martin? Mr. Moseby? Chief Vincent will show you to your quarters on the Crew Deck. You will both have private rooms, but the Tasmanian Devils here will share one. Will that be acceptable?"

"Of course!"

"Excellent. To the tram!"

Alex turns around and runs smack into the door.

"Ow."

Rubbing his nose, Alex activates the hologram, opening the door.

"Note to self: make doors automatically open when approached."

"_Note recorded sir."_

"Ugh."

They walk out the door and into the station. A tram is waiting. Upon boarding, the car takes off for the stern. Cody's curiosity gets the better of him.

"So where am I going?"

"You'll see."

The tram goes to Engineering, drops off Zack, and then proceeds to a new destination back towards the bow. Alex has developed a nose bleed at this point.

"Perhaps it's a good thing that we're going where we're going."

"And that is…?"

The tram comes to a halt before Alex can answer. They get out and Cody looks at the lettering on the floor. White lettering reads "Medical Deck". Alex leads the way through a door straight ahead, past a ship store advertising those Sarah Palin bobbleheads. Down a long hallway, they enter a large waiting room with three doors leading off to different wings of the hospital, with scrolling signs above the doors announcing their respective areas: "Imaging Diagnostics", "Research & Genetics", and "Ishimura Clinic". Alex waives himself through the security station, manned by one lonely guard, and opens the door to Imaging Diagnostics. Cody follows, still clueless.

"_Welcome to Imaging Diagnostics."_

"CICIL find Dr. Terrance Kyne for me."

"_Dr. Kyne to the entrance of Imaging Diagnostics immediately."_

A moment passes, and then a tall blonde haired man in a lab coat comes through the door behind Alex and Cody.

"Captain Bergeron sir, welcome to… is that a nose bleed?"

"Yes. Yes Kyne it is, but that's not why I'm here. Meet your new intern!"

Alex moves aside to reveal Cody. Dr. Kyne seems surprised.

"Intern? Well then, Doctor Terrance Kyne at your service."

He shakes Cody's hand.

"Cody Martin, it's nice to meet you sir."

"Kyne, I thought perhaps Cody, being the prodigy he is, could help out in the Chemical Lab. Heck, he could probably help out anywhere."

"I would love to have his help!"

"I would love to work in a place like this!"

"Lovely. Now Kyne, I'll let you give the tour to Cody, while I go find something to stop my nose bleed…"

Alex heads back through the waiting room and enters the Ishimura Clinic. A nurse is on the other side.

"Why hello Captain! Nose bleed fix I take it?"

"Yep, just something quick, stupid door got in my way…"

"_And by that you mean you walked right into it sir?"_

"Again with you CICIL! Who taught you to back talk? I mean, seriously!"

The two walk through another door and the nurse attends to the nose bleed. Meanwhile, back in Imaging Diagnostics, Kyne is giving Cody the grand tour.

"… and this giant machine is our 360 degree CAT scanner. The images go to a bank of computers up there."

Kyne points to a second floor balcony, where a line of holograms are projected from the wall.

"If the patient needs therapy, we can take them directly into zero-g therapy via an access tube directly connected to the CAT scanner, back there. Now over there is the door to the Chemical Lab, and next to the door is the lift up to the CAT scanner computers and access for non patients or for those who can walk to zero-g therapy itself. Follow me to the Chemical Lab."

Kyne crosses the room, skirting the massive CAT scanner in the center and approaches the Chemical Lab entrance. Cody follows, absorbing everything the doctor is saying. Kyne opens the door to the lab and the two enter. A short hallway has several doors branching off of it, and one at the far end that is locked. They start heading for the far door.

"Now, as Chief Science Officer, this is where you'll find me most of the time, either here or in Research and Genetics. The Clinic however, is the domain of Dr. Challis Mercer, Chief Medical Officer, and his assistant, Senior Medical Officer Nicole Brennan. Let me unlock this door real quick."

Kyne taps the hologram once.

"_Biometric match confirmed. Welcome Dr. Kyne and guest Cody Martin."_

The door slides open to reveal a large room with various machines lining the walls. Several lab tables complete with sinks, gas hook ups and an assortment of tools, vials, cylinders, flasks and tubing. Cody is in awe.

"It's like my science classroom, only 100x better!"

"And you can use it to experiment as much as you want. We have a huge supply of chemicals you can use, and what we don't have, you can make. CICIL can also help you with anything you want. Just be careful, as the slightest sign of some sort of accident, unintended or out of control reaction, fire or explosion, and CICIL will quarantine the area. CICIL, could you demonstrate?"

No sooner had the sentence left his mouth than a thick red metal screen slams down over the exit to the lab, causing Cody to jump in surprise. The door hologram, now partially covered by the grate, changes from blue and "Unlocked" to orange and "Emergency Quarantine!" whilst flashing skull and crossbones behind the words. All the lights go out, replaced by a single spinning red warning light in the middle of the ceiling. A siren sounds.

"_Hazardous anomaly detected. Quarantine lockdown initialized. Security has been notified."_

"See? Effective."

"I noticed. How do you lift the quarantine?"

"In this case, I can have CICIL lift it since it is a demonstration, but normally it will lift automatically after the hazardous condition is gone, or security overrides it. CICIL if you please?"

The grate over the door retracts back up into the wall, the lights come back on and the alarm stops. The door hologram changes back to "Unlocked".

"_Quarantine lifted."_

"Why do I get the feeling this won't be the last time this happens?"

Kyne looks at Cody sheepishly.

"My personal experience says it won't be."


	11. Spinning Away

Chapter 10: _Spinning Away_

***Author's Note: This chapter takes place at the same time as the last one, since it follows Zack in Engineering. Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing! Keep it up! Almost a third of the way there!***

The tram car with Alex and Cody screeched off down the tunnel, leaving Zack alone on the platform, muttering to himself.

"And here I am standing beside myself…"

He turns towards the door to Engineering.

"Let's go find Temple."

He walks through the door and down the hallway to the Central Control Room. The room is more populated this time, with several crew members roaming around keeping the heart of the ship going. Temple is in the middle of it all, his ever watchful eye upon the Engineering crew. He hears Zack approaching.

"Welcome back Zack. Are you ready for the rest of the tour?"

"What haven't I seen yet?"

"Only the best parts, the fuel depot and centrifuge I think."

"Centrifuge?"

"I knew you'd perk up at that. Let's suit up and I'll show you."

The two walk to the preparation room. It only takes Zack 10 minutes this time to get a RIG on, though it still seems like much longer. This time, they have helmets on too. Once ready, they reenter the Control Room and go through the door on the other side that Zack had not visited previously. Beyond, a decontamination room waits.

"Sorry Zack, but the centrifuge is delicate. We have to go through mandatory decontamination checks first."

"No big."

They enter the chamber. The door shuts behind them and locks. The door at the other end changes from "Locked" to "Stand By".

_"Decontamination sequence initiated. Please stand by. Remain still during the process please."_

Some sort of cleaning agent bursts forth from sprinklers in the ceiling. Lasers scan the two and pinpoint contaminants, which are sprayed directly by robotic nozzles on the wall. After a minute of this, the sprinklers stop and the doors unlock.

_"Decontamination completed. Thank you for your patience."_

They proceed through the door and enter an airlock.

_"Warning. Centrifuge offline. Control modules have been automatically detached. Use caution."_

The airlock pressurizes and then admits Temple and Zack into an elevator, which takes them down to almost the very bottom of the ship. Emerging into a long hallway, they make their way to yet another airlock. The two are now at the base of the ship, between the two massive Cargo and Hydroponics towers separating Engineering and the rest of the ship. The airlock pressurizes, and then admits them onto a balcony of a massive circular chamber, at the bottom and center of which is the largest machine Zack had ever seen. The gigantic centrifuge stands below them, though not spinning. Zack notices some sort of strange energy field dividing the entrance separating the airlock and the chamber. He soon realizes why.

_"Entering zero gravity."_

Despite this announcement, Zack, though feeling lighter, does not start floating.

"Hey Temple? Why aren't we floating? CICIL says we're in zero-g."

"These suits have magnetic boots that keep us anchored. You can jump to other surfaces though, just look where you want to go and say "lock on". If the suit thinks it's a valid landing surface, jump at it and the suit will propel you to it. The boots will automatically disengage and reengage their magnets. Watch me."

Temple locks on to the ceiling, then jumps to it. His suit's thrusters flip him 180 degrees in mid air and he lands softly, now standing on the ceiling. Zack is dumbstruck, but determined.

"Let me try it, lock on!"

He locks on to the ceiling next to Temple, and jumps. Zack Martin glides effortlessly through the air above the centrifuge, spinning 180 degrees to a soft landing next to Temple. They are now both standing on the ceiling.

"Good job! Now, jump to the floor next to the centrifuge and I'll show you how to use this thing."

Temple jumps to the bottom floor of the chamber, right next to the centrifuge itself. Zack follows.

"Good! Now, this thing has two modules that must be attached manually in order to power it up. Remember Kinesis that Captain Alex used on you?"

Zack remembered the gravity prank on the bridge all too well.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"It's built into these suits. Use it to drag the module over there along the track and connect it."

Zack walks over to the module, and then eyes his right hand.

"How do I use it?"

"Well, Alex has a telepathic link with his suit and the ship's computers, but for our purposes, a simple voice command will work. Say "Kinesis" and the suit will project a line from your right hand that you can aim to select what you want to pick up. Then say "Grab" and the suit will grab hold of whatever you selected with a beam of magnetic energy. Then simply pull it towards you. Try it."

Zack aims his right arm at the module on the tracks.

"Kinesis!"

A red targeting laser shoots out of his right hand and shines on the module.

"Grab!"

A beam of magnetic energy shoots out from his hand and attaches to the module. Zack suddenly feels weight on his arm. He tugs back, and the module glides towards its attachment spot on the centrifuge's base.

"It feels like this thing is attached to my arm with rope or something!"

"It feels weird at first, but you'll get used to it."

The module glides into its spot and locks into place.

_"Module one attached."_

"Now how do I release it?"

"Just say "Release" and the beam will stop. Alternatively, if you want to propel something away from you, just say "Shoot" and the object you have a hold on will be blasted away from you."

"Release!"

The beam from Zack's right hand stops.

"Well done Zack! You catch on quickly!"

Temple walks over and attaches the second module.

_"Module two attached. Centrifuge power restored."_

"Now, jump with me back to the entrance. Let's fire it up!"

"Now you're talkin'!"

The two jump back to the wall above the entrance, then back to the floor. A hologram has popped up asking if they wanted to turn the centrifuge on or not.

"I'll give you the honor Zack. Be warned: this is why we have helmets."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

Zack presses "yes" on the hologram. The room flies into action. The energy field at the door to the airlock disappears as railings pop up on the balcony, restricting jumping, the centrifuge begins to spin and the floor drops out and retracts away, throwing the room into a vacuum. The centrifuge is mounted on four large support beams that are all that is left of the floor. CICIL announces the events through the suit helmet's headset.

_"Centrifuge activated. Balancing gravitational load with planetary gravity well. Calculating optimal revolutions per minute. Room gravity restored. Entering vacuum."_

Zack stares over the railing at the scene below in awe. Between the revolutions of the centrifuge is a straight view down to Earth below the Ishimura in her low orbit. The continent of Africa is in the current view, which is nighttime, as the sun is on the other side of the planet. Lights shine up from the surface, indicating large urban centers. Temple's voice in his helmet shakes Zack out of his trance.

"Beautiful isn't it? Even though we have two hours of air in these suits, I'm going to shut it off, since we don't have any mining payload tethered and in need of counterbalancing. One sec."

Temple presses something on the hologram. The centrifuge slows to a stop and the floor slides back out of the wall and rises to meet the base of the centrifuge. The railings lower and the room re-pressurizes. The energy field at the door to the airlock reappears as the artificial gravity shuts off.

_"Centrifuge deactivated. Exiting vacuum. Entering zero gravity. Detaching control modules."_

The modules detach from the base of the centrifuge and roll back on their tracks to their starting spots. Zack is speechless.

"So what'd you think?"

"That. Was. AWESOME!"

"Glad to hear it. Come on, let's go back up and get out of these suits. We've been here for over an hour!"

"Really? Wow."

"Yeah, work day's almost over. It's almost dinner time. Sounds like you're going to have a lot to chat with about Cody over dinner."

"You have no idea."

The two reenter the airlock and proceed back to Central Control. Back in the centrifuge, the control hologram flashes the bizarre symbols briefly, and then returns to normal.


	12. Settling In

Chapter 11: _Settling In_

_"Attention: Dinner will be served in the mess hall on the Crew Deck in 1 hour."_

Zack and Cody had just arrived at the Crew Deck with Alex after working in their new areas for the day. The tram glides away from the station as they enter the door to the Commons, a three story rectangular room where the crew can relax, chat and hang out when off duty. Elevators and doors surround the room, branching off to the multitude of habitat towers where the crew actually lived and slept. Alex strides to an elevator in the center of the far wall of the commons. After the entry of a password, the elevator opens. The scrolling sign reads: Executive Residences.

"You guys, along with Carey and Moseby, will be residing in the Executive wing of the Crew Deck. We have only three spare quarters though, you two will have to share one. The password to the elevator is "28186", or CICIL can let you in should you forget."

They enter and the elevator descends. Zack asks one of his first intelligent questions of the day.

"So how can 7,000 people live in such a small space?"

"An excellent question. The Crew Deck is sorted by gender and rank. Men and women are separated in different living areas on all levels except the Executive Residences, where everyone has their own private areas. The deck has 5 "habitat towers" which are essentially inverted skyscrapers hanging off the bottom of the Ishimura's hull just a little back from the bow, where the Bridge is. Tower One is in the center of the four and is where we're going now. It contains the Executive Residences, lower level officer quarters and the Executive Shuttle hangar. Towers Two and Three are for female crew members and Towers Four and Five are for male crew members. They are separated internally by rank. Higher ranks are closer to the top of the tower. In my opinion the bottoms of the towers have the best view. Hence the reason the Executive Residences Area occupies the bottom ten levels of this tower."

At this point the elevator glides to a stop and opens up.

_"Executive Residences, Level 10. Access to lower levels is gained via local stairs or lifts."_

"Follow me."

They emerge into a massive lobby, with all glass windows on the left and right. The floor is carpeted rather than metal, chandeliers hang from the ceiling and sconces line the wall. Two elevators, one forward and one aft, allow access to lower floors. Glass stairs, with magnetically levitating steps, lead down as well. A desk with a receptionist is directly in front of the elevator, and there is a wall of clocks behind her, eighty of them, arranged in ten rows of eight, each tracking the time of a major city on Earth. The twins' gaping mouths say everything. The level of opulence is beyond that of the Tipton, beyond that of London's penthouse in Boston most likely. The receptionist looks up and notices the three of them. It's Maddie Fitzpatrick.

"Good evening Captain. Can I help you?"

"MADDIE!"

The twins rush behind the desk and practically tackle her to the ground.

"Nice to see you guys too. It's been what? Two years since that stupid prince? And no Zack, I haven't forgotten!"

Zack seems pleased. Alex is doing everything he can to not start laughing.

"How did you get on the Ishimura?"

"Alex hired me. He knew you two would do well to have some familiar company and the candy desk at the Tipton wasn't cutting it. Besides! I love my workplace! Best views in the world all day! And a five figure paycheck is nice. Now, what can I do for you all?"

These two hooligans are being placed in Residence 1, and I need the queen bed exchanged for two expanded twin size ones."

"I will have the sentinels do that at once sir. Anything else?"

"The keys?"

"Ah, yes sir, one moment."

Maddie disappears behind the desk for a moment, and then produces two gold colored key cards. She hands one to each twin.

"Now, these are the only things that can unlock your door. Don't lose them!"

Alex chimes in.

"Actually Ms. Fitzpatrick, perhaps you could genetically key that door as well? Cody won't lose his, but Zack…"

Alex turns to Zack, who is using the card as an improvised hair brush.

"What? With Maddie around, I need to look my best."

"Alright, into the elevator Mr. Suave."

Alex forcefully guides Zack towards the elevator to the lower levels.

"We'll talk later 'bout that Ms. Fitzpatrick."

"Yes sir. See you guys!"

The doors close and the elevator descends. After a moment they reopen.

_"Executive Residences, Level 1. Access to Residences 1-5 and the Captain's Quarters."_

The group walks into another commons area, one story this time, but lavishly furnished. The room is decked out art deco style, with a mini bar, sofas, chairs, a chess table, two massive flat screen TVs on opposite walls and six elevators, two to each wall adjoining or opposite the wall with the elevator to the lobby. Each one leads to a specific Residence with the occupant's name on a scrolling sign above. One elevator on the far wall is slightly more ornate than the others, with gold doors, rather than silver. The sign reads, not surprisingly, "Captain's Quarters". Alex crosses to the elevator next to his. The door opens unprompted and two strange flying robots exit, hauling a queen bed.

"Zack, Cody? Meet the sentinels. CICIL's flying robotic servants. On the Crew Deck, these little wonder workers do general maintenance, odd jobs and basically anything you ask. Sentinels?"

The two robots set the bed down and turn to Alex. They salute him with their "arms". They then turn and do the same to Zack and Cody, before picking up the bed and crossing to the elevator to the lobby.

"Wow. Those are sweet."

"How did you get the power supply so small in order to get them to be able to do that?"

Alex and Zack look at Cody funny.

"What? Just asking."

Alex shakes his head and enters the now empty elevator to Residence 1. They twins join and the elevator descends for a few seconds, rotating 180 degrees as it does. The doors open to the most lavish living space the twins had ever seen. Their suite is very modern, with a large foyer, leading to an open air, full kitchen and dining room to the left. To the right is a library/study filled floor to ceiling with bookcases and books. A single desk is in the center, with a computer, lamp and writing utensils. Cody nearly faints. Ahead is a wall separating the foyer from the main living space with two open air doorways on either side. An alcove in the wall directly ahead of the elevator contains a vase with very exotic looking flowers, lit by a lone light above. The rest of the entrance area is lit by accent lighting along the walls and some sconces.

"Oh my god. This is unbelievable."

"Heh, you should see my quarters…"

"What?!"

"Moving right along…"

Alex walks through one of the doorways into the main living room. Zack and Cody nearly faint again. A large open area greets them. The floor is recessed downward a few steps, an enormous sofa sits facing the opposing wall, staring right at a simply massive 100" TV. Below it is a glass door cabinet with an Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and a Wii. A set of drawers on the right of the cabinet contains an extensive movie library, while a symmetrical set on the left contains a large variety of games for the various consoles. Symmetrical track lighting sets run the length of the room, with a ceiling fan in the very center. The walls on all sides are entirely glass windows, occasionally interrupted by a solid wall panel with a picture hanging on it. Automatic shades are mounted above the windows, adjusting automatically to compensate for the sun. The wall with the TV has two doors on either side, both projecting standard door holograms. They read "Locked".

"Where does that lead?"

"The bedroom."

Zack and Cody look at each other for a second, then dash for the doors.

"Me first!"

"No, me!"

"How about ME?!"

Alex moves them both out of the way and unlocks the doors. They enter. The bedroom has a glass floor, though there is nothing but darkness beneath it. Two identical beds are on the opposite wall, each with its own night stand and lamp. On the wall with the doors is another, smaller TV, flanked by alcoves with a marble statuette of Socrates on one side and one of Aristotle on the other. There are two more doors, one on either side of the room. Alex strolls to the one on the left and opens it, revealing an all marble bathroom, with twin sinks, a large walk in closet, separate water closet, Jacuzzi bathtub and a walk in shower. Alex then walks to the other one, which is an entrance to a large sitting room, with huge observation windows. Alex then returns to the center of the bedroom, allowing the twins to take it all in.

"So, what do you think?"

"THIS IS AWESOME!"

"What he said."

"Then you'll love this."

Alex lifts the statuette of Socrates and presses a button hiding beneath it. The room shakes, and large blast doors open beneath the glass floor, revealing an unobstructed view of Earth below. Zack and Cody look down in awe. Alex lets them take it all in.

"I personally designed the Executive Residences, and each one is unique, with a unique floorplan and design. Each is a work of art, with its own style. Moseby's for example, is Victorian style, like the Tipton in Boston and your mother's is traditional Japanese oriental style. I thought you might like the modern style. It's the only one with the glass floor and has the biggest TV."

Zack and Cody are lost for words.

"Oh, by the way, there are three holographic panels in this residence, one in the bathroom, one by the elevator and one over there, between the beds."

A hologram pops up between the two beds on cue.

"You can control local security like door locks, call anyone on the ship or, in the event that Zack decides to try and cook, quarantine the entire residence and call security to assist. And finally…"

Alex walks to a nightstand and produces two Apple iPod Touches, one for each twin.

"These beauties let you control the entertainment aspect of this place. Lights, music, current TV channel, shades and you can even set the Jacuzzi temperature from this app."

Alex presses an application icon on one of the device's screens shaped like the ship's logo and demonstrates.

"That is so awesome!"

"And it gets better. Your mother gave me both your iPods. The libraries of both have been synchronized with the ship and these new iPod Touches. You can play any piece of music, video or movie pretty much anywhere on the ship. While we're still in Earth orbit, you can download new stuff off of iTunes free of charge. When we leave though, the communications array will not be free to use for that purpose."

"Dude, heavy metal in Engineering? YES!"

"What about Mozart and Bach?"

Zack glares at Cody.

"Well, I have to admit to you two; I have a soft spot for classical and jazz music."

Zack turns and glares at Alex as Cody high fives him.

"Really Alex?"

"What? I like Duke Ellington…"

After a moment, they all start laughing.

_"Attention. Dinner will be served in the mess hall in 30 minutes."_

"Well why are we still down here? Let's go!"

Zack makes for the door.

"Someone's hungry."

"And so am I!"

Cody follows.

"And here I am, standing beside myself…"

_"Not exactly sir."_

"You don't count. You're everywhere."

_"Isn't that the point?"_

"Touché."

Alex smiles and walks off. The observation floor blast doors close as he leaves, causing him to pause.

"And that happened why?"

CICIL doesn't respond, but the bizarre symbols flash across the hologram by the beds for a moment.

"What the…?"

"Alex, come on!"

Cody's distant call snaps Alex out of his curiosity. He shakes it off, and walks out the door.


	13. Nighttime Misadventures

Chapter 12: _Nighttime Misadventures_

***Author's Note: It's been a little while, hasn't it? I sort of got creative brain drain from working on this so much and decided to take a break. Without further ado, back to the Ishimura!***

Zack and Cody are walking through the Commons, overstuffed from the extravagant dinner in celebration of a successful launch. Entering the password, they board the elevator to their new floating homes.

"I ate too much."

"You're telling me! How many chickens did they kill for that dinner?"

_"Approximately one thousand three hundred and ninety four, Cody."_

"Jeez! Excessive?"

_"Not really. Remember that we have 7,000 people to feed."_

"Dude, Cody, you'll get over it."

"Yeah, yeah."

The elevator comes to a stop at the Executive Residences Lobby. They seem to have beaten everyone else back, as Maddie is missing from her post. The second elevator next to the desk is standing open for some reason.

"CICIL, why is the elevator open?"

_"I'm not sure. The doors should automatically close when the car is idle for longer than 30 seconds."_

The twins peek around the desk. The car is empty and the doors suddenly slam shut. The door hologram seems to be malfunctioning, flickering and displaying words in varying languages.

_"Warning. Elevator door malfunction. Please use the stairs. A repair technician has been notified."_

The twins back away from the elevator and proceed down the stairs. At the bottom, the other set of doors from the elevator also has a malfunctioning hologram.

"Well that's weird."

"Probably just a short circuit."

_"The elevator controls aren't even responding to diagnostics. Just steer clear of it. The elevators to the residences appear unaffected. Oh, by the way, I was instructed to inform you that there is a curfew of 10 o'clock pm, Eastern Standard Time. While I personally don't care if you wander around, Captain Bergeron does. The elevator to your residence will go offline at that time and reactivate at 4am."_

Zack looks annoyed.

"And what time is it now?"

_"8:43pm."_

"Come on Zack, there's plenty to do inside. You'll survive."

Grumbling all the way, Zack follows Cody into the private elevator to their residence. The doors open to a pitch black home.

_"Welcome back, Zack and Cody."_

The lights flicker on and the metal shutters on the windows retract into the floor. The penthouse is suddenly illuminated.

"Well Zack, I'll just be reading in the study. TV's all yours."

"Yes!"

Zack runs for the living room. Cody laughs to himself and enters the study. He picks out a book on the history of firearms and sits down for a read. Meanwhile, Zack has flipped on the TV and is watching the news while browsing for a movie to watch.

_"This is CNN Breaking News. Good evening everyone, we interrupt Larry King Live to deliver this important newsflash. There appears to be some sort of political coup underway in Russia. Fires have been reported in Moscow, rioting in the streets and clashes at a missile base outside the city. Stay tuned for more details."_

Cody hears this and comes out of the study.

"Russia?"

"Huh? Oh right, yeah, some sort of big riot in Moscow."

"Oh."

_"Captain Bergeron to the Bridge immediately!"_

The twins look up with interest.

"Wonder what the hubbub is?"

"The Captain probably needs to be informed."

"Makes sense."

Cody returns to the study as Zack starts watching The Dark Knight. Closing the doors to the study to muffle the loud movie, Cody returns to his book, but tunes in to CNN on the computer.

_"This just in, an update to the Russian situation. A spokesman for the Kremlin confirmed that an Al-Qaeda backed rebel faction has sparked an attempted uprising in the capital of Moscow. The Russian Army has been called in to deal with the situation and the Prime Minister has been evacuated to an undisclosed location. It is unknown if this is possibly related to the launch of the USG Ishimura this morning. Now back to Larry King Live, interviewing Former President Clinton on the reconstruction efforts in Haiti…"_

"Sounds like chaos down there. CICIL? What's the military saying?

_"I don't think I'm really authorized to disclose such information to you…"_

Cody glares at the ceiling.

_"Oh fine. Based on what I'm picking up, they're mostly worried about Russian nuclear assets. Even then, the Russian Army appears to have missile base security under control."_

"Any threat to us?"

_"Strategic analysis would seem to say no. We are in too high of an orbit to be targeted by ballistic missiles and the Ion Cannon Satellite network, which is US owned, is pointing back down at Earth, not out to space. We aren't totally defenseless you know. In the months leading up to the launch, Alex had me reprogram my subroutine for the Asteroid Defense System's automatic targeting. The ADS is made up of the most powerful cannon weapon ever produced: mass drivers. Two hundred and fifty cannons, each with two barrels firing what is essentially a modified German 88cm artillery shell, they are specifically designed to penetrate and detonate within an asteroid. We found that they could serve a double purpose, with each cannon barrel having more attack power than an AC-130 gunship's 120mm cannon. Also, there are twenty high powered anti-missile point defense lasers scattered about the hull, which could shoot anything down that ventures too close. We are very well defended."_

Cody seems to be a little more settled.

"That makes me feel a whole lot better."

_"I thought it might. You may see them in action before we leave orbit to go on our voyage. The Pentagon asked us right after we took off to check in when we were over Afghanistan. Our orbit is only a little faster than the Earth's rotation, so we will be in position tomorrow afternoon. I suspect we are needed as ground support, since we can lay down a ridiculous field of fire."_

"Wait. On the Bridge, I saw a door that said it led to ADS cannon number 8. Can people manually target the cannons?"

_"Yes, on an individual basis. In the event of an auto targeting malfunction, each cannon can be manually controlled from a small cannon pit behind it. Alex tried once, and I must say, he was having a lot of fun blowing up targets in the desert."_

"I would love to try that."

_"Just don't tell Zack, he might get carried away."_

"Agreed."

Cody returns to his book. The time passes, and eventually it is past 10 o' clock.

_"Attention: curfew is now in effect. Elevator lockdown initiated."_

The door hologram on the elevator changes to orange and says "Elevator Offline". Cody notices and decides to go to bed. In the other room, Zack is just finishing his movie.

"Well, I'm going to bed. How was the Dark Knight?"

"Awesome, especially on this TV. Did you know there is surround sound in here? And a subwoofer!"

"Not surprising. Judging by the fact that you're holding a copy of Get Smart, I take it you aren't going to bed yet."

"Nope."

"Alright then, see you tomorrow."

"Night dude."

Cody enters the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He hears the movie start. Sighing, he walks into the closet in the bathroom. It was almost as big as their old actual room at the Tipton. It was neatly divided, the twin's things having been brought up from the Cargo Deck already. Cody picks his favorite PJ's off a hanger and puts them on.

"Now what do I do with these clothes?"

_"There is a laundry chute on the wall to your right."_

"Oh, thanks."

_"You're welcome. Laundry has a turn-around time of approximately 5 hours."_

Cody exits the bathroom and hops into bed. His is opposite from the Socrates statuette. It is the last thing he sees as the memory foam mattress envelops him. Back out in the living room, Zack pauses the movie and heads to the kitchen.

"CICIL, need some more popcorn please."

_"Processing request, please stand by."_

A sentinel appears out of the pantry carrying a popcorn bag. It puts it in the microwave for a few minutes, then removes it and pours it into a bowl. Zack doesn't even lift a finger the entire time.

_"Popcorn microwaving completed. Enjoy your snack."_

"Thanks CICIL."

_"You're welcome Zack."_

He takes the bowl and returns to his movie. Two hours later, the movie is over, Zack is bored and out of popcorn. He paces the residence, restless. Passing the elevator, the hologram still reads "Elevator Offline". He goes back into the kitchen and retrieves a Sprite. Walking back out into the foyer, something strange happens. The hologram makes a "ding!" and changes to the standard elevator prompt of "Call?" Zack is intrigued. He presses "yes". The doors open. The time is 12:34am.

"Cool! Wonder why it opened…"

CICIL curiously remains silent.

"Eh, what the heck?"

Zack strolls into the elevator and sends it up to the Executive Commons. The elevator to the lobby is back online and functional. Zack takes that one too. Before he knows it, he is in the main Commons. Curious at what else he could do, he walks to the tram. The station is predictably deserted, and there is an eerie silence, since no trams are running. A small hologram on the wall that normally isn't projecting anything during the day is active. Zack walks to it.

"And what do you do?"

As if in response, the hologram comes to life.

"Call tram manually?"

Zack tentatively presses "yes". There is the sound of screeching in the tunnel. A tram car rolls down the tracks and stops at the station. Zack boards it. The control hologram onboard asks for a destination.

"Oh, I don't know, um…Bridge!"

The car powers away, heading to the bridge, which is only a few seconds ride away. After a moment, the car stops and Zack exits, now on the bridge deck. He walks right through security, and using his key, opens the door to the bridge. The room is pitch black. Blast shutters have raised over the windows, a symbol of nighttime inactivity. As Zack enters, dim lights come to life, tracing a path on the floor to the stairs to the upper floors. Zack climbs them and soon is at the central command station, where White was standing hours before, informing Alex of the issue of engine ignition. The consoles sit dark. The main monitor is off as well. Zack strolls over to a random console.

"Umm, on?"

The console comes to life, waking the hologram projector in the center of the platform. The main monitor comes on as well. Zack realizes why CICIL isn't talking. The main monitor reads: "CICIL in sleep mode. Advanced ship functions offline."

"Oh, that's why nothing is running."

Taking this opportunity, Zack begins messing around for personal entertainment. Locating a local, Bridge only PA microphone, he sings a particularly bad rendition of Stayin' Alive, plays a game of pong on the main monitor against himself, and turns the floor into a disco, dancing to himself singing Blue Suede Shoes. While dancing, he bumps a button on the console. The blast shutters retract, revealing Earth below.

_"CICIL awakened and now running in limited mode."_

"Limited mode?"

The computer does not respond.

"Define limited mode."

_"Limited mode: a low power or nighttime operating mode where sentience is disabled and only basic AI function is present."_

Zack now notices a door on the fourth level that he hadn't seen before. He climbs up to it.

"CICIL, where does this lead?"

_"The cannon pit for ADS cannon number 8. Warning: authorized personnel only."_

Zack ignores this and opens it. He enters a small square room. A single chair is in the center, facing the opposite wall. Zack sits down.

_"Power transferred to the ADS. Asteroid Defense System Cannon number eight now online. Manual override initiated."_

The wall retracts away, revealing the massive cannon on the other side, behind a thick glass window. Two targeting lasers stretch into space, one from each barrel. The chair rises slightly, and a joystick rises from the floor to meet Zack at arm level. The joystick has two buttons, one on the left, and one on the right. A hologram pops up to the right of the chair, displaying shield strength, hull integrity and an overheat meter. Zack grasps the joystick and moves it slightly. The cannons move with the joystick. Zack suddenly realizes what this means.

"This is gonna be fun."

He presses the left button once. There is a resounding boom as the cannon fires a single shot into space.

_"No valid target detected. Round disarmed."_

Suddenly another hologram pops up to the left of the chair, opposite the first one. It has a list of objects in the cannon's range. Zack picks out a decommissioned US communications satellite. A third hologram is projected onto the glass wall, highlighting the target with a red symbol. Zack moves the cannon until the symbol turns green, then fires one shot from each barrel. "Boom, boom!" The rounds speed away from the Ishimura and smack into the satellite, obliterating it.

_"Target destroyed."_

"Yes!"

He picks another dead satellite and shoots at it.

_"Target destroyed."_

"This is so fun!"

He continues shooting at things until the cannon runs out of targets. Annoyed that he can no longer shoot things, Zack climbs out of the chair and exits the cannon pit.

_"Manual override disengaged. Cannon number eight powered down."_

The bridge is still quiet and deserted. Zack decides to head back to the residence, seeing as it was now 4am. As he goes to exit the bridge, Zack is distracted by some clamor in the vents. There are banging noises, and it sounds as if there is something crawling around.

"What in the world?"

Zack cautiously approaches a wall vent. The air vents in most areas of the Ishimura are about 4 feet tall by 2 feet wide, covered by a grille with a small fan in it to help circulate air. They are usually on the ceiling or the wall. On the Crew Deck, the vents are less intrusive, being smaller and less numerous. Here on the Bridge however, they are full size. The vents are dimly lit by small red lights internally, giving them an eerie glow. The noises are getting closer andZack is getting a little scared.

_"I don't like this one bit…"_

He glances back at the main monitor, weighing the chances he would get in trouble for rebooting CICIL for protection. Before he can make up his mind, the vent cover pops off from the inside. A rather short boy hops out.

"Who are you?"

Zack startles him. The boy turns around, looking worried.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm not supposed to be here either, so I'm not going to turn you in. But seriously, who are you?"

A smile breaks out on the kid's face.

"Well that's a relief. I'm Brandon. Hey, wait a second! I know you. You're one of the guys who won the contest."

"Yeah we did. How did you aboard Brandon?"

"I'm the son of Chief Vincent. You've probably met her already."

"Nice. She and CICIL get into some pretty sarcastic debates."

"You have no idea."

"So where do you live?"

"Mom has a high level officer quarters right above the executive residences. I have one next to hers. The elevator to your area goes past the Officer Quarters, but is always locked."

"Yeah. The door has a password, and won't open unless someone who actually lives down there is trying to get in… So why were you in the vents?"

"Well, actually, I wanted to get out after curfew. I was going to leave the vents once I got to the Commons, but I saw you enter the tram and head for the Bridge. I thought the noise might wake someone, so I stayed out of sight. The noise from the cannon let me find my way to you."

"Which probably means someone else heard it too…"

The conversation is interrupted by the sound of a tram arriving at the station outside the Bridge.

"Quick, into the vents!"

The two jump into the vent, and Zack replaces the cover behind them. They crawl away as Alex enters the Bridge.

"Now why was there a cannon firing?"

He walks to a console and presses a few buttons.

_"CICIL sentience now online."_

"What? You got so bored you had to start shooting things?"

_"Good morn- I beg your pardon sir?!"_

"ADS cannon number 8. It was firing at something. I heard it."

_"Certainly wasn't me."_

"Sure?"

_"I'm sure sir. I was in either limited mode or asleep at the time, as I have no record of the cannon being fired. Perhaps a satellite strayed too close and triggered my defensive subroutine?"_

"Perhaps. Hope it wasn't anything important."

_"I haven't received any complaints from Earth about it."_

"Then it probably wasn't. Well, it's freaking 4am, so you might as well stay online. I'm going back to bed."

_"Very well sir."_

Satisfied it was nothing out of the ordinary, Alex leaves the Bridge. In the vents, Brandon and Zack have made it back to the Commons.

"You can get to the elevator from here. I have to keep going."

"Thanks dude. And this didn't happen, right?"

"Right."

Zack hops out of the wall vent and walks to the elevator. He turns and waves at Brandon, who waves back as he replaces the vent cover. Zack enters the elevator and returns to the Executive Residences. CICIL notices him as he enters the lobby.

_"I knew it! You were firing the cannon!"_

"What's your point?"

_"Zack, you can't just hijack the ADS. Those cannons are dangerous. You could have shot something important!"_

"Relax. I only shot decommissioned satellites and something that looked like the ISS."

_"YOU DESTROYED THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION?!"_

"Oh, no. It was too small to lock on to."

_"Oh for love of… nevermind."_

Zack smiles and proceeds down the stairs to the Executive Commons. Entering the elevator to his residence, he smiles at a security camera eying him.

"I knew you'd see it my way."

_"Ugh."_

Zack laughs all the way to his bed. Cody, still asleep, hasn't noticed a thing.


	14. Bad Omens

Chapter 13: _Bad Omens_

***Author's Note: Sorry for the long drought in updates, I had to tend to school stuff, but now it's Spring Break, so expect more frequent updates over the next week, as I finally have the entire story roughly mapped out.***

The clock next to Cody's bed reads 9:29am. Both he and Zack are still fast asleep, Zack especially so after the night before. The clock turns 9:30. The Ishimura rounds Earth and emerges into the sunlight, as the shades in the suite retract, letting the rays shine in. The clock beeps loudly, waking both Zack and Cody.

_"Good morning crew members, CICIL speaking! Today is Saturday, August 9th, 2010. It is currently 71° Fahrenheit aboard the USG Ishimura. Today's schedule includes: orientation for new crew members arriving aboard the noon shuttle, the Captain's ship-wide afternoon miniature golf tournament, and an Officer's social dinner. Breakfast will be served in the mess hall in 45 minutes. Thank you for your time."_

The PA clicks off as Zack and Cody roll out of bed and proceed through the morning routine. Zack hops in the shower, while Cody heads for the kitchen for something to drink. CICIL and a sentinel greet him.

_"Good morning Cody. Would you care for a cup of coffee to start your day?"_

"Wow. Sure, thanks!"

_"Of course. What flavor?"_

"Uh, surprise me."

_"Coronado Roast it is!"_

The sentinel proceeds to start making coffee, and Cody sits down at the counter. Zack comes running out of the bathroom in just a towel. Cody and the sentinel turn and stare at him.

_"Does the phrase "self decency" mean anything to you Zack Martin?!"_

Zack ignores CICIL.

"Dude! The shower has a see-through glass floor too!"

"And you felt the need to run out here almost naked to tell me that why?"

"I don't know."

Zack returns to the shower. Cody just shakes his head and turns back to the steaming coffee mug in front of him.

"Thanks CICIL."

_"You're welcome. Care for some TV?"_

"Sure."

A hologram pops up on the counter, tuned in to CNN. There is a story running about the Russian coup.

_"More news today about the riots in Moscow. Osama bin Laden, thought to be possibly dead by most members of the intelligence community, has issued the first videotape in a long time, declaring responsibility for the riots and saying that, and I quote, 'Soon, the Islamic peoples will be able to lash out at the heart of the infidels that have invaded our lands.' Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been confirmed to have rushed to the White House for an emergency meeting. Stay tuned for more details."_

CNN breaks for commercials. Cody is stunned.

"He's back?!"

_"Indeed. I heard the reports come in this morning. It's very worrying to Captain Alex. He may take us out of orbit and on to the actual voyage a little early."_

"What's the voyage plan?"

_"As of now, we head for the asteroid belt, though first we will enter orbit around Mars, take some photographs, then try out the shock point drive on a rendezvous with a predetermined asteroid, then mine it. We will then shock back to Earth and done! This will probably take about 2 weeks if everything goes according to schedule."_

"Jam packed trip?"

_"You know it."_

Zack comes back out, now wearing clothes.

"All yours."

Cody gets up and walks to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. The bathroom is steamy from Zack's shower, though the vents seem to be doing a decent job of pulling the steam out. Cody puts on an audio feed of CNN via the security terminal hologram and strips down, entering the shower. The shower heads turn on automatically. As he showers, Cody looks down through the glass floor at Earth below. Russia is below the Ishimura, and through the harsh morning sun, Cody can make out the fires and smoke in Moscow, thanks to the Ishimura's low orbit.

"Damn, it's a mess down there."

_"You don't say?"_

Cody ignores CICIL and continues gazing down at Russia. A gleaming light appears from near Moscow, growing brighter by the second. Cody immediately recognizes it for its true purpose.

"CICIL! INCOMING!

_"I see it! Brace yourself!"_

On the Bridge, CICIL overrides the autopilot controls, throttling the engines to 100% from 30% in a few seconds and also throwing the wheel hard to starboard. The entire ship shakes, accompanied by multiple alarms. The Ishimura begins to turn away from Earth.

_"Warning! Incoming ICBM detected directly below the ship! ALL CREW BRACE FOR IMMEDIATE EVASIVE ACTION!"_

The crew all hit the deck in unison. The ship is turning, but the missile is gaining on her. Looking through the floor, Cody sees that the ship has little chance of moving in time.

"CICIL! Engage anti-missile laser defenses! Activate the ADS! Sound collision! DO SOMETHING!"

Surprisingly, CICIL takes orders from Cody. The lighting scheme ship-wide changes to red, and every door on the ship locks. The ADS lasers start firing. There is a moment of tense silence on the entire ship. After a few seconds, the Ishimura shakes from an explosion outside.

_"Missile destroyed in flight. Returning to normal ship status."_

The lighting goes back to normal and the lockdown is lifted. Everyone, Cody included, breathes a sigh of relief. Alex bursts onto the Bridge, mad as hell.

"What in the name of your preferred god was that? Did the Russians just shoot at us?!"

Second Officer Nate Roberts, who is the only officer on duty, responds.

"My guess is that the Islamic extremists took control of the missile base sir. However, the ADS and CICIL took care of it nicely."

_"Actually, Cody Martin called it to my attention. The missile was outside my radar range and he spotted it a few seconds early, giving me time to react. He may very well have saved us."_

"Bravo! CICIL, you and Cody are miracles in action! Now for a little payback. Prepare to initiate counter-battery fire."

_"Yes sir!"_

CICIL seems excited. The reason is revealed shortly.

_"Power transferred to the ADS. All port side mass driver cannons now online. Ready to fire."_

Alex smiles to himself.

"I love my job… FIRE EVERYTHING!"

All 57 cannons on port side of the Ishimura open fire on the base below. Out the shower floor window, Cody sees hundreds of rounds flying towards Earth. They all appear to hit with unnerving accuracy, causing the base to disappear into a cloud of dust and flying debris. The barrage continues for about a minute uninterrupted.

"Cease fire!"

The cannons stop; every single one of them is glowing red hot at the ends of the barrels.

_"Two thousand, five hundred and seventy two rounds fired sir. None missed. Missile base destroyed. No, excuse me, obliterated off the face of the planet."_

"I like it. Just another day at the office then. As you were Mr. Roberts."

Alex exits the Bridge, smiling all the way to the mess hall on the Crew Deck. Back in the suite, Cody is getting dressed. He walks out into the bedroom holding his shirt, where Zack is still staring at the chaos below through the floor.

"Wow. Just wow. You just saved us all dude!"

Zack playfully tackles Cody.

"You're welcome."


	15. Puzzling Effects

Chapter 14: _Puzzling Effects_

The mess hall is abuzz with excited chatter and rumors about the events of the morning. Zack, Cody, Alex, White, Vincent and an assortment of officers are sitting at the special officers-only table, enjoying an endless supply of bacon, eggs and biscuits for breakfast, much to Zack's enjoyment. They too are discussing the missile attack.

"I thought the Russian military had control of the base."

"Apparently not, but you never know…"

"What about defectors in the Russian forces?"

"Vincent's got a point."

"I would be surprised."

"Hey, they aren't well paid. Maybe a bribe?"

"Unlikely in my opinion."

"Still, one can only wonder."

"But what if it really was the terrorists?"

"Osama certainly doesn't love us."

"No kidding."

"Maybe he doesn't like golf."

"If that terrorist so much as comes close to my golf course, he's going to be riding my club all the way back to Afghanistan!"

Amid the laughter, Cody, who has been totally silent, notices a kid off to himself at a nearby table. He nudges Zack.

"Who is that?"

"Dunno, I've seen him around though. Ask an officer."

Cody nudges Chief Communications Officer Conrad to get his attention.

"Yes Cody?"

"Who is that over there?"

Cody directs Conrad's attention to the kid by himself.

"Oh, I believe that's Vincent's son, oh, what's his name… Brandon! Yes, Brandon!"

Conrad returns to the joking about Osama. Cody goes back to his breakfast, curious about this mystery kid. Looking up again about a minute later, Brandon is gone. Breakfast ends and everyone returns to their quarters. The crew has the morning off, and activities will not begin until noon, when the shuttle is to arrive. Zack and Cody reenter their suite. Zack proceeds to belly flop on the couch and turn on the TV. Cody walks back into the bedroom to make the beds. As he is doing so, Cody notices something in his reflection in the window, causing him some alarm.

"Zack, come in here!"

Zack lumbers in, annoyed.

"What now?"

"Look in the window at your reflection. Notice anything?"

Zack eyes himself for a moment, and then realizes it.

"My mustache. It's like I just shaved. I haven't shaved since before we left!"

"I know. Our hair isn't growing. It's weird."

"So space does this to you?"

"No. It's something on this ship, but I don't know what."

"But everything was, eh, 'growing' normally yesterday. Why not now?"

"I wonder…"

Cody looks out the window as the noon shuttle flies by the bow, on approach to the Flight Deck.

"Wonder what?"

"Oh, um, never mind. It's probably a side effect of some new technology on this ship."

"Huh, interesting."

Zack walks back to the TV. Cody continues to examine himself in the window.

"Yeah, interesting."

Cody leaves the window and continues to tidy up the room. Up on the Flight Deck, the noon shuttle is inbound. Alex is standing at the entrance to the flight lounge, watching the proceedings. The hangar bay doors are wide open, and an energy field is keeping the air in and the vacuum out. The shuttle is slowly maneuvering in. With a loud thud, the magnetic docking clamps pull the shuttle the rest of the way inside and the hangar doors slowly close.

_"Sir, the cargo hold reports ready to receive shipment 782."_

"Alright then CICIL, offload her."

_"Retrieving Cargo Shipment 782. Please stand by."_

The bottom of the shuttle opens up, as more clamps reach in and pull out a rectangular shaped metal container. The container is almost as long as the shuttle, and requires three cargo handlers to help maneuver it onto the transportation track that runs around the floor of the hangar, beneath the shuttle. The clamps suddenly stop short of the track. A call comes in over Alex's earpiece.

_"Captain, this thing is so big; it's giving us and the clamps some trouble. Any ideas?"_

Alex thinks for a moment.

"Yes. Just one. Deactivate gravity."

The artificial gravity shuts off in the entire hangar.

_"Entering zero gravity."_

The clamps resume their descent. The box is secured to a trolley on the track and rolled away.

_"Thanks for that sir! Shipment 782 is on the way to the hold as we speak."_

"Good to hear. Kudos to you and your team. Speaking of kudos, CICIL? Give these guys the rest of the day off."

There is a resounding cheer from the Flight Deck crew, who quickly disperse. The room gravity is reactivated and Alex heads to the tram. While in the flight lounge, the lights suddenly go out. The doors close, and the quarantine grates come down. The holograms on the doors are flickering rapidly, displaying the bizarre symbols. CICIL comes over the PA, her voice distorted.

_"Warning! Catastrophic quarantine fail- por favor, por donde, warning! Cuidado! Achtung!"_

The lights flicker on and off, sparking as they do so. The gentle pulsing rhythm of the engines stops as an eerie silence settles over the ship.

"What the hell?!"

Alex puts his finger to his earpiece.

"Hello? Anyone there? Anyone?"

There is nothing but static as a response.

"Dammit!"

Back in the twin's suite, things start malfunctioning in a variety of ways. The doors all lock, holograms turn off entirely, the lights go out, the blast shutters start cycling up and down over and over again, and the microwave goes into overdrive, blowing up a bag of popcorn in Zack's face. After about a minute, it all stops. Back on the flight deck, the lights come on and stop sparking, the holograms return to normal, the doors open and the quarantine is lifted. Three resounding booms from the stern announce an engine restart. Alex is highly annoyed.

_"Full system reboot successful. Central Ishimura Computerized Intelligence with Linguistics version 1.03 loaded successfully. Restoring ship functions. Running diagnostics."_

"CICIL, what the hell was that?"

_"Some sort of disruptive energy wave from an unknown source caused a power surge from the fusion reactor. I managed to isolate critical systems to prevent damage. Everything seems to be in order."_

"Well that was random. I'm going back to the Bridge now. The tram is safe to use, right?"

_"Yes sir. I shut down the tram control computer when the surge happened. It was not fried."_

"Lovely."


	16. Can't Stop, Just Go!

Chapter 15: _Can't Stop, Just Go!_

Alex enters the Bridge to a bunch of panicking officers, still in confusion after the apparent power surge. Nobody seems to notice the captain's presence, except for CICIL, as they are too busy arguing amongst themselves.

"Is there a reactor breach?"

"This console is fried!"

_"Um, guys?"_

The crew ignores CICIL. Alex's face is getting redder by the second.

"Any teams stuck outside?"

"Man, I don't like this."

"Bad omens man, bad omens!"

"Was there any radiation leaks?"

"I don't know yet dammit!"

_"Um, officers? Hello? Anyone?"_

"Someone mute her!"

"I've got reports of a stuck elevator in Hydroponics!"

"I just was told its fixed!"

"Is our orbit decaying?"

_"Captain on deck!"_

"Engines are online, so no."

Alex is furious at this point.

"This is un-fucking believable. You'd think it was Armageddon up here."

_"You have no idea. Quite frankly sir, I can't get a word in edge wise. I mean, they just ignored me telling them you're here, so yeah…"_

"I'll remedy that."

Alex calls up a hologram, and after a moment, the blast shutters raise over the windows. Alex takes a deep breath.

"EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM JUST STAND TO AND SHUT THE FUCK UP THIS INSTANT!"

The room goes silent and the officers go at attention. Alex walks to the helm as the shutters lower again.

"Look at all of you! Running around like headless chickens, acting like it's fucking World War III! Get a grip people!"

The officers are all staring at their commander, who returns every stare with a glare of his own.

"You are officers of the Concordance Extraction Corporation Geological Spaceship Ishimura! You are the best damn naval officers in the world, hell, that's why we hired you! Then when something stupid like this happens, it's like the god damn communists are invading! I know it has been an eventful day, to say the least, but we've got a job to do people! This ship is the physical manifestation of the salvation of humanity! Thirty two nations have poured their wealth and GD-frikin-P into the design, construction and use of this vessel, so as to procure a better future for their children and grandchildren! A future where the world does not have to go to war over the newest oil deposit! But we can't do that if the people supposed to be making it happen are acting, well, like you guys! You think this morning was bad? Wait until we don't do our job, then take a look. Nuclear missiles will be falling faster than we can count them! Now that you all have that wonderful image in your head, are you ready to do what is necessary, in an orderly and professional fashion?"

"Yes sir!"

"I'm sorry, I thought I heard a couple of pussies talking. What was that?"

"YES SIR!"

"That's more like it! Now, get to your stations and prepare to sail into history! CICIL, PA please."

The PA turns on, garnering the attention of a confused crew.

_"Attention Ishimura, this is Captain Bergeron speaking! To fill you all in on what just happened, there was a power surge from the core, which caused some bizarre behavior in ship systems. CICIL was able to contain and counter this surge, and restore system stability. Now, I know you all were expecting either an extended orbit stay here at Earth, or even returning home, but to that I say no! _

Zack and Cody enter the Bridge, looking for Alex, who does not pause his speech.

_There will be no going back now! Too much is at stake! This ship is the saving grace of a humanity that is in danger of depleting the resources of the world! We cannot go home, just because of equipment malfunctions and the fact that some Islamic extremists disagree, violently, with our goals! We're going in! And the order is: engage the shock point drive!"_


	17. Unexpected Welcome

Chapter 16: _Unexpected Welcome_

_"Shock point drive engaging captain."_

Outside the Ishimura, the engine towers are beginning to glow slightly. A wave of energy shimmers down the hull from the bow as a shimmering white point of light forms at the very front tip of the ship. On the Bridge, the blast shutters raise up over the windows. The entire ship begins to shake.

"Plot course for Mars."

_"Aye sir, course laid in."_

"Give me the count."

_"Sixty seconds to shock jump."_

"Carry on CICIL."

_"Aye sir."_

Alex turns to the twins.

"Come to watch the fireworks, eh? Get up here!"

Zack and Cody run over. There is now a distinct whine as the engines power up to full capacity. Between the vibration and the whine, the noise level on the Bridge is rather high. Everyone is starting to shout over the din.

_"Thirty seconds sir."_

"Thank you CICIL. White! How are we looking?"

"Like a million bucks sir."

_"Warning! Twenty seconds to shock jump!"_

"Steady people, steady!"

Cody leans over to Alex's ear.

"Are you sure the ship is supposed to be acting this way?!"

"Short answer: no!"

"How's that supposed to make me feel better?!"

Alex simply shrugs. The noise is now so loud that all communication has to be with hand signals. On every single screen and hologram ship-wide, a countdown appears, counting down from 15 seconds. The engine towers are now glowing a blinding white, as the light at the front of the ship has morphed into a circle, slowly growing to the diameter of the Ishimura itself. At the center of the circle, a rift is forming. The countdown is now at 10 seconds. The ship is starting to be stretched towards the opening, which is still growing wider.

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

The Ishimura is suddenly sucked into the rift, which snaps shut behind her. On Earth, there is a tremendous thunder clap as the ship shocks out, and the energy dispersed from the jump disrupts communications and electrical grids. On board the ship, a strange calm has taken hold. The vibration and whine have stopped, replaced by a simple, gentle hum of the engines.

"You can let go of me now Cody. You know, before you crush my lungs!"

Cody, in fright, has latched on to and is squeezing Alex rather tightly. He lets go.

"Sorry."

"Report!"

_"We are in the lane sir. The jump was successful, although right as we jumped we seem to have knocked out a large chunk of the Japanese power grid."_

"Oops. Bah, they'll survive. What's our ETA?"

_"Approximately one minute sir."_

"Very well, carry on CICIL. We can all celebrate once we figure out how to stop this thing."

Alex walks off the helm and starts pacing around idly.

"I wonder what the view is outside."

Zack's pondering stops Alex in his tracks.

"Intriguing. CICIL lower the shutters."

_"Um, right. Shutters coming down."_

The shutters lower. Outside the windows, the Ishimura is inside a tunnel of yellow light, as waves of pure, white energy pulsate down the hull, in line with the rhythmic hum of the engines.

"Wow."

"Awesome!"

_"Well this is unexpected."_

Suddenly, the tunnel opens up and the Ishimura zips out. The tunnel closes behind them. Mars is directly ahead. The force of the exit causes a tremendous jolt, causing people to stumble.

"We're here! Welcome to Mars ladies and gentlemen!"

Applause bursts out ship-wide.

"Now that wasn't so bad. CICIL, fire subspace engines and plot a high altitude course."

_"Sir, we have a problem."_

"Yes?"

_"The engine control computer appears to be malfunctioning. I am not getting any response to a command to begin ignition."_

"Get me Temple."

A hologram pops up in front of Alex, showing a video feed of the engine control room. It is empty.

_"Uh, sir? Where is everyone?"_

"I was about to ask the same thing. The room is deserted! CICIL, check for engineering personnel life signs and telemetry."

_"Checking. Strange, my sensors indicate they are there, but the feed shows something different. Rebooting video surveillance system."_

The feed goes to static for a moment, and then comes back. The control room is suddenly populated.

_"Found them."_

"No kidding, Bridge to Engineering."

_"Temple here, go ahead sir."_

"Yeah, the engine control computer is giving us some trouble; we can't seem to start the subspace engines. Any problems down there?"

_"Yeah it's being stupid down here too. We're working on it. I'd say we'll be back up in about five minutes."_

"Very well, keep me informed. Bridge out."

Alex sighs and rises from the chair.

"CICIL, send a message home, tell them the shock point drive works and we're at Mars, but the drive appears to have a detrimental effect on electronics near it."

_"Message away."_

_"Temple to Bridge."_

"Go ahead."

_"Engine control computer is back up sir. Just needed a reboot."_

"Thanks for that. CICIL, start the sequence."

_"Yes sir, beginning engine ignition sequence, please stand by."_

The all-too familiar sounds emanate from the stern as the engines power up.

"Well, Zack? Cody? What do you think?"

The two are still standing with their mouths gaping open at the scene out the window.

"Um, what are you gaping at?"

Alex turns to the view out the window. There is Mars of course, but there is something else, some object approaching at high speed.

"CICIL, what is that?"

_"It's the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, except it is clearly not in orbit."_

"And why is it getting closer?"

_"No idea."_

"CICIL, is that going to hit us?"

_"I don't think so sir. I can shoot it if it makes you feel better."_

Alex turns his back to the window.

"I don't think we need to go shooting up multi-million dollar satellites, do we?"

"Uh, Alex? It's getting closer."

"Nonsense Cody. We're fine."

Alex turns to the window. The orbiter is speeding towards the Bridge, with no sign of slowing.

"Oh crap. It is. GET DOWN!"

Everyone hits the floor. The blast shutters start to rise, but it's too late. The orbiter flies past the inactive ADS cannons guarding the Bridge and smacks square into the window, smashing clean through it and embedding itself in the tram tunnel behind the Bridge. The shutters seal the window, stopping the escape of air.

_"Warning! Hull breach detected on the Bridge! Warning! Fire detected in the tram tunnel! Emergency crews have been notified. Fire suppression system activated. Tram system deactivated."_

Everyone gets up off the floor. The Bridge is filled with smoke, and some lights are flickering. Several screens read "No Signal." Others read "System Failure." The main monitor is flickering wildly. All the elevator holograms read "Error!" and there is a large hole in the back wall where the satellite entered, leading into the tram tunnel. There is smoke and sparks pouring out of it. Alarms are going off everywhere.

"CICIL! Vent the room!"

_"Emergency ventilation system activated. Restoring nitrogen and oxygen levels. Bridge lockdown lifted."_

The smoke clears, revealing the extent of the damage. The entire port side of the Bridge is scorched where the satellite bounced by on its way through the wall. The walkways for all three upper levels have been severed at the back wall, where the gaping hole is. Several window panes adjacent to the smashed one are cracked, but holding. A couple of officers appear to have light injuries.

"Damage report!"

_"Window smashed in sir. Life support stable, containment is solid. Several gravity panel failures, a massive hole in the wall, a tram car just got smashed, a multi-million dollar satellite has been destroyed, shall I go on?"_

"Humor me."

_"Very well then. Multiple terminals have been damaged and rendered inoperable, the security station lost some significant square footage, a few light injuries among officers, power to ADS cannons 1, 3, and 5 has been severed and the elevator to Ship Systems has been damaged. The Ship Systems crew are evacuating via the crawlspaces at this time. The majority of ship functions are unaffected, and subspace engines are firing. My core was not damaged in any way and I am putting us in orbit now sir."_

"Alright, get the damaged tram car back to the depot for a replacement, then get a medical team down here. Have the sentinels initiate repairs."

_"Yes sir."_

"What a day."


	18. Effigy of Madness

***Author's Request: MORE REVIEWS PLEASE! It's just the same few people over and over again, yet I'm getting a ton of hits & reads... Need multiple opinions!***

Chapter 17: _Effigy of Madness_

Alex is sitting in a chair near the gaping hole in the wall on the Bridge, dazed from what happened. The twins walk over as Alex rubs his eyes, as if to make everything go away.

"You alright Alex?"

"Does it look like I'm alright?"

As if in response, a severed cable near him starts sparking. Alex gets up and turns to look through the hole into the tunnel. The damaged tram car has been hauled off, and a new one is ferrying injured people to the Medical Deck. He turns back to the twins.

"I'm not alright because a lot of things have gone wrong on this trip, and we're only a few days in. Yes we made history, yes this is a grand accomplishment, but an accomplishment scarred."

Alex walks over to the damaged window pane.

"To be honest, something has been fishy since we left."

Alex has the attention of Zack and Cody by this point.

"Come with me."

Alex walks over to the elevator next to the damaged Ship Systems one and overrides its lockdown. The sign above it has been smashed, but Cody can make out something that looks like "Communications". They board and Alex sends it up.

"We need to go somewhere less populated to talk about all this. Last thing I need are rumors flying about."

The elevator arrives, opening to a small platform, with a small gondola waiting. The tunnel it is in runs down about 200 yards aft of the bridge. They board and the gondola takes off automatically, racing through the small tunnel, which is starting to fill with smoke from below. A few lights are flickering, and some are sparking, a reminder of the damage below. After only about 30 seconds, the gondola slows to a stop at another platform.

"Here we are. Nice and quiet."

Alex leads the way through the door and into a small control room of some sorts. A few desks and terminals are towards the rear of the room, and at the front, a few steps lead down to a platform with a single hologram in the middle. The wall the platform faces is glass; though the other side is pitch black. The room is deserted.

"Where are we?"

"Communications Control, Zack, somewhere where we won't be bothered."

Alex starts pacing the room as he speaks, turning on consoles and activating equipment as he goes. The twins stay near the door, watching him.

"Now, something you should know. The contest to be part of this mission? Rigged as far as I can tell. I don't even know who was _supposed_ to be in your places, but it doesn't matter now. What does matter is the significant interest in you two from people, well, way above my pay-grade. I can't say what is so incredibly interesting, but I found some interesting things while browsing the Ishimura's data banks the other day."

He calls up a two holograms, each one is a dossier on one of the twins.

"These."

The holograms remain stationary as he continues pacing.

"While I knew I would get some background info on whoever came along, what perturbs me is the creation date on these files. September 24th, 2007. Two months before the Ishimura's computer systems were even started the first time. Two years before CICIL achieved sentience. Apparently, Concordance has been watching you for a while, but I have no idea why. Then there are the other mysteries, that shipment that came aboard before we left, I can't open it, and nobody, not even, CICIL knows what it is. That crazy, suicidal homing satellite that just tried to kill us. Inexplicable. And then there is this last thing."

The holograms go away, replaced by another one, with a strange logo on it. The logo is a solid black hexagon, with the vertical sides elongated. Within the hexagon is what appears to be a three-headed dog, colored orange. The logo is spinning slowly.

"I found this, in CICIL's core files. She is totally clueless as to what it is, or where it came from. It has been seen among the bizarre symbols that I saw a few times flashing across holograms randomly. And one more thing. A third dossier was forwarded to me; even though there are only two of you."

Alex walks over to the platform and begins manipulating its lone hologram.

"It is sitting in the queue, waiting to download. I have not opened it. Shall we?"

He finishes typing and hits a final stroke on the hologram.

_"Power transferred to the Communications Network. Shifting Communications Array electrical configuration from passive to active. Messages with attachments may now be received."_

Some lights flicker to life beyond the glass wall, revealing a large hexagonal chamber. At the center is a large spire, stretching at least 50 feet from floor to ceiling. Around it, in symmetrical lines facing inward at the spire, are 18 large antennas. They are set in levels, as the room is tiered, with three levels of antennas surrounding the central spire. As the lights get brighter, the true scale of the room is revealed. The spire descends below the grate/mesh floor into some sort of fascinating electrical machine, which is hard to see through the floor. It is throwing up moving shadows on the wall. Also in the floor are lines of glowing energy, lasers, transmitting data between the individual dishes. On the far wall is a large holographic screen, showing an overhead view of the room, with dish locations highlighted in green. One is blinking red.

_"Error. Communications Array dish number three is in need of resynchronization. Beginning automatic tuning."_

A few seconds pass with sounds of static and dial tones making up the general ambiance. The red dot on the screen changes to green.

_"Resynchronization completed. Array ready for use."_

"Download file entitled 'Dossier Number Three, Eyes Only'."

_"Download initiated. Contacting Mission Control Houston for file."_

The array springs to life as the lasers light up. Electrical charges dance up and down the spire.

_"Superluminal communications link established. Downloading at 3.25 terabytes per second. Download complete. View now?"_

"Return array to passive. Open file."

_"Shifting Communications Array electrical configuration from active to passive. Messages with attachments may no longer be received. Opening file."_

The lone hologram comes to life with information as they array powers down and the lights turn off, plunging the chamber back into darkness. Alex eyes pieces flying around, as the hologram struggles to project all the information in front of him.

"Alright, what do we have here?"

He continues sifting through bits of data and information.

"No."

He eyes something closer.

"That's impossible…"

Both Zack and Cody are trying to see what Alex is looking at, but the text is too small to read from over by the door.

"My god. CICIL! Run a baseline genetic comparison between Subject Three and Zack and Cody."

_"Analyzing…"_

"Alex, what's going on?"

There is a tense moment of silence as genetic strands appear on screen.

_"Unbelievable. You're right sir."_

"But if I'm right, then where is he?"

_"I have no idea. After the hospital records from Seattle, the trail goes cold. I am unable to trace him beyond that he was adopted by a Ms.-"_

"A Ms. Who?"

_"Sir, if these records are accurate, then Brandon Martin, unknown third brother to Zack and Cody, was adopted by an organization whose name is redacted here, but the logo is the same as the one you found in my files. And it would appear that this unknown brother is genetically similar to Alyssa Vincent's son."_

"We're triplets?!"

"But her son is named…oh…Brandon."

_"Precisely sir."_

"Get Alyssa up here on the double!"

_"Alyssa Vincent to the Communications Control room, ASAP."_

Alex walks away from the hologram, rubbing his forehead.

"This can't be right. They look nothing alike!"

The gondola can be heard being called back to the elevator platform outside.

_"I have no explanation sir; though it would seem that some of Brandon's genetic strands have been artificially manipulated, assuming these two individuals are actually the same person. Between the hospital and now, something happened. Something isn't right here sir."_

"No kidding CICIL. No freaking kidding."

The gondola starts up, on its way to the control room.

"I suppose we'll know soon enough."

Alex walks to the railing of the control platform and stares off into the dark array chamber. The twins settle down at a desk near the door, dazed by the revelation. Outside, the gondola arrives and Alyssa Vincent enters. The door slams shut behind her and the hologram indicates it locks behind her.

"Sir. You needed to see me?"

"CICIL, get Carey on the way up here to. And disable all security monitoring devices in this room."

_"Aye sir. Carey Martin to Communications Control immediately. That's on the Bridge in case you didn't know."_

"So. Vincent. I need some answers from you."

"Of course sir, what seems to be the problem?"

"I received another dossier on a third person, in addition to these two hooligans."

He nods in the direction of Zack and Cody.

"After we left."

"After sir?"

"Yes, after. Not only that, but a baseline genetic comparison revealed similarities between these two and that third person. Upon CICIL's searching of medical records, she discovered that Zack and Cody indeed had a brother, who was given away at birth and adopted by some organization with this symbol."

The hexagon and three-headed dog pop up on the hologram next to Alex.

"In addition, the genetics of the child at birth have changed from what is presented here in the dossier. The dossier and the genetics of your son are an exact match. Based on what I can tell, Brandon Vincent is actually the abandoned third Martin brother."

_"It's true ma'am. I analyzed the genetics and read over the dossier myself. Captain Alex's conclusion would seem to be valid."_

"That's impossible sir! You'd think I'd know! Brandon and the Martin twins don't look alike!"

"But that's just it! His genes have been artificially altered! He was MADE to look different from them! If he hadn't been engineered that way, he'd look like one of them! Therefore, if all other possible conclusions have been exhausted, then the remaining one, however improbable, must be the truth. Brandon Vincent is their brother!"

The door unlocks and opens, admitting Carey.

"Sorry it took me a minute, I had to find the right elevator."

"No problem Ms. Martin. I need to know what is your ex-husband's best method of contact?"

"Well, he has a cell phone and Skype on his laptop…"

"Skype name."

"KurtMusicMan99, I think."

_"That's a valid address sir."_

Alex sends the dossier away and calls up the array controls. With a certain emotional force, he slams down on the hologram. The array comes to life.

_"Shifting Communications Array electrical configuration to active from passive. Video calls can now be made."_

"CICIL, make it happen."

_"Yes sir."_

The array suddenly lights up, even more than before, and each antenna begins to glow slightly. Bolts of electricity shoot out from the spire in random directions, dissipating into the walls.

_"Superluminal link established. Attempting to connect."_

The hologram changes to some Skype controls and a large blank spot for where the video feed would be. A sentinel enters through the door and positions itself behind the screen, acting as the camera.

_"Sentinel is ready sir. Calling."_

There is the usual Skype dial tone and sound of ringing on the other end. After a moment, Kurt Martin answers, his face appearing on screen.

_"Hello?"_

"Hello Mr. Martin, this is Captain Alexander Bergeron of the USG Ishimura, how are you doing today?"

_"Fine sir, fine. Please tell me Zack and Cody haven't destroyed anything yet, have they?"_

_"Amazingly they have not Mr. Martin."_

_"Who is that?"_

_"I am the Central Ishimura Computerized Intelligence with Linguistics, CICIL for short. I am the Ishimura's Artificial Intelligence."_

_"Oh, nice to meet you. So, what do you need sir?"_

"Answers. From you and your wife. Zack, Cody, leave us for a moment. Just go out on the platform for a second."

They oblige. Once they are gone and the door has locked behind them, Alex continues.

"We discovered that a third lucky person was supposed to join them for the main voyage. That person is actually aboard this vessel, though I did not know it at first. The dossier forwarded to me had basic genetic information to be integrated into ship medical records. Here's the killer: a baseline genetic comparison run by CICIL showed that the mystery third person and your twin sons appear to be related. Very, very, closely. Now, on a hunch, CICIL checked Seattle's Department of Public Health and Safety's medical records. You have kept a deep secret from your children. There was a THIRD brother. Brandon Martin. Given up to an orphanage because you and your wife couldn't care for him."

_"Now wait just a second here Captain-"_

"DON'T… interrupt me Mr. Martin. The orphanage gave him to an unknown organization, along with several other children. Comparisons between genetic stats at birth and now reveal significant modification, mostly to appearance, most likely to remove any impression of relation to Zack and Cody. It gets better. The logo of the organization that adopted him was found floating around in CICIL's core operating files. A black, vertically elongated hexagon with an orange three-headed dog in the center."

Both Carey and Kurt get a certain facial expression that can only be described as a knowing guilt.

"Ah, you know of it? Well then, CICIL, you know what to do."

_"Aye sir. Brandon Vincent to Communications Control on the double!"_

_"Now Captain, who do you think you are, poking your nose around in private things like that?! It is none of your business, our parenting decisions! It was for the better!"_

The lights in the room all begin to flicker, and holograms start fizzling out around the room. Alex rises, seething with anger. Small bolts of electricity begin to jump between Alex and surrounding objects.

"HOW DARE YOU! FOR THE BETTER?! PERHAPS YOU SHOULD JUST COME AND EXPLAIN IN PERSON!"

Alex's hand explodes with energy as he thrusts it forward, tearing open a shock space rift in the room. On screen, the hand grabs Kurt by the collar and drags him through the portal to the Ishimura. The Skype connection shuts down and Alex pulls his hand back. Kurt goes flying out of the portal, and Alex throws him across the room. The rift closes. The unfortunate father picks himself up off the floor. Alex uses kinesis to grab Kurt and pull him across the room until they are face to face.

"DO. NOT. TEST. ME. Zack and Cody are part of my crew, and my friends. It is ENTIRELY my business. Understand?"

"Understood."

"Good."

Alex releases Kurt, who limps to a chair and collapses. The gondola is heard arriving outside.

"CICIL, let all three of them in."

_"Yes sir."_

The door opens.

_"Zack and Cody, you can come back in now."_

Brandon enters, followed by the clearly shaken twins, who immediately return to their places at the desk. Brandon is confused.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

"You are."

"Huh?"

"There is some explaining to be done…"

_Ten minutes later…_

"…and that's the summary. You are the long lost brother of Zack and Cody."

Brandon is breathing heavily and staring at his hands and at the floor.

_"Are you all right Brandon?"_

"No CICIL. But thanks for asking."


	19. Cerberus

***Author's Note: I know the last one was confusing (and this one may be as well) but hang in there, all will be revealed. The plot thickens!***

Chapter 18: _Cerberus_

The Communications Control Room is deathly silent. Brandon is staring at the floor in stillness, and Zack and Cody both look like they are on the verge of crying.

"Alyssa, can you go out of the room for a second?"

"Sir."

She proceeds out to the platform to wait. The door locks behind her.

"I'm done here. I'm sure everyone has questions-"

"NO SHIT WE HAVE QUESTIONS!"

Cody's outburst catches Alex off guard.

"Yeah!"

Now Zack has joined in. Brandon is still silent.

"I'll just, stand over here…"

Alex slips off to the side to give the family some room.

"Why would you lie to us? Why would you do this to Brandon?!"

"Cody sweetie, it's complicated-"

"SHUT UP MOM!"

Carey is taken aback.

"Cody, I-"

"No. I'm asking the questions here!"

"Now son, let your mother and I have a say here!"

"Quiet Dad!"

Zack steps forward.

"Cody and I deserve some answers first, THEN you can speak. Answer Cody's question! Why would you do this?"

Kurt sighs loudly.

"We just, didn't have the money. Your mother and I were aspiring, but not wildly successful musicians. We had a very limited budget. When we learned we were going to have twins, we knew it would be hard. When they discovered the third child in the womb just a few weeks before expected delivery, we didn't know what to do! We both knew we couldn't make ends meet, so we tried to give Brandon a home he would be happy in. Carey and I decided that if we tried to raise all three of you that we just wouldn't be able to provide. We had no idea about what would happen. We couldn't have possibly known that Brandon would be adopted by some clandestine organization! How could we of?"

Brandon looks up slightly, enough to see the logo still on screen. Suddenly, it all comes rushing back.

"White room. Two faces. The doctor speaks. Three boys. Panicked response. Orphaned."

Brandon looks up at everyone.

"Adopted. By Cerberus."

Alex, who has been gazing out at the array, suddenly snaps back to the conversation.

"Cerberus?!"

He looks at the logo.

"Of course. I should have known. Cerberus is the three-headed dog, guardian of the underworld in Greek mythology. I should have known…"

Everyone except Brandon is confused. Cody is the first to venture a question.

"What's Cerberus?"

"Cerberus is a covert organization focused on the advancement of humanity, where the usual bureaucratic channels fail. Basically, they use more extreme methods to achieve goals than say, NATO or the United Nations does. It is said that they were founded during the Cold War, as an off-the-radar counter to the Soviets. Thing is, it has ties to the United States government. If Cerberus is involved, this just got a lot more complicated. It's possible that Brandon's genetic manipulation was ordered by the government, directly or indirectly. That would explain how the Ishimura got worked into this, since Concordance has government ties."

_"This is extraordinary."_

"You're telling me CICIL. I can't believe Cerberus is involved with these three. But it makes sense now, the dossiers pre-dating the Ishimura, the rigging of the contest, it all makes sense now. I'll bet Cerberus pulled a few strings inside Concordance and boom! Here we are."

"Who runs Cerberus?"

"I do not know who, only that by all accounts he basically doesn't exist, a very illusive individual. He is well funded, by the government, and by front corporations that funnel him money."

Everyone is silent. Finally, after a few minutes, Alex breaks the deafening silence.

"Well, this has been an, eventful day to be sure, I think we should all get some sleep, and then reconvene in the morning. Kurt?"

Alex snaps his fingers and another portal opens up. Kurt hangs his head, looking at his sons, who glare at him in scorn. He glumly walks into the portal, which closes soon after.

"Alright, come on everyone. Let's go. I've had enough of this room for one day. CICIL, shut it all down behind us."

_"Of course sir."_

"I'll stay a moment."

"So will I."

"And me too."

"As you three wish. Sounds like you have a lot of catching up to do. Good night gentlemen."

Alex and Carey exit, joining Vincent in the gondola. Zack, Cody and Brandon are now alone in the room. Brandon is the first to speak.

"So. I'm your brother. Wow. This is a lot."

Cody begins to quietly cry, and Zack is just staring off into space. Brandon walks over and comforts Cody. Soon, they're both crying. Finally Zack joins in too, in a giant three-way hug.

"I missed you guys!"

"We missed you too!"

They continue to all cry together in the middle of the room. The sentinel, who had never left, looks around awkwardly, before locating a box of tissues and bringing it to the three. Between sobs, Zack manages a "Thank you".

_"You're all welcome. Poor things…"_

The sentinel exits, leaving the three crying for another five minutes before they leave as well. Returning to the Crew Deck commons, they part ways after another brief hug, Brandon to his personal room next to his surrogate mother's room and Zack and Cody to theirs. Arriving down in the Executive lobby, Zack and Cody find Maddie, fast asleep at her desk. Zack, for once, ignores her and proceeds straight to the elevator with Cody. Back in their suite, they go to bed in quiet and cry themselves to sleep. An uneasy silence settles over the Ishimura as the darkness envelops them…


	20. Ominous Happenings

Chapter 19: _Ominous Happenings_

"Vincent, you wanted to see me?"

Its 5:32 am as Alex is sitting in the Captain's Nest, typing up some sort of report on a hologram. Seeing that Chief Vincent has walked in, he sends it away and turns around in his chair to face her.

"Yes sir. Since I did not fully inform you last night, I figured you should know how I came to adopt Brandon."

"Alright, you've got my attention. Enlighten me."

"In 1995, three years after the triplets were born; I went looking for kids to adopt. In doing this I went through all the usual channels, considered adopting from Haiti, or someplace like that. I was approached by an organization that specializes in American orphans, rather than foreign ones. They gave me Brandon's and a few other children's profiles. I decided that perhaps adopting an American child wasn't a bad idea, so I chose Brandon. Here's the thing. The logo for that orphanage? Eerily similar to that of Cerberus."

"And now you think it was one of Cerberus' front corporations that gave you Brandon."

"Exactly."

"Well, Cerberus does seem to plan in advance. And you were already part of the team back in 1995 too, I remember it well. We were just getting off the ground with this project, and here we are! They must have known that Brandon would probably become part of the project too, and then rigged everything so that the twins, unwittingly, got placed here too. But my question is why? Why go to all this trouble, to hide Brandon's identity with expensive genetic manipulation only to return him to his biological family?"

"I don't think anyone has the answer for that sir."

"Except that oh-so-illusive man that we think is running the show."

"Maybe. But I have to wonder, did they really mean for the secret to be figured out? Or have we tossed a wrench in whatever their plan was?"

"Entirely possible."

"It's all so strange. I have a feeling we're caught up in a conspiracy here, stretching from Concordance to Cerberus, all the way to the freaking government!"

"You're telling me. I'm sure that the truth will be unveiled in time. How long though, remains to be seen."

"I just hope they realize the ramifications…"

"You and me both Vincent, you and me both. Well, is there anything else?"

"No sir. I'll be going."

"As you wish. See you at breakfast."

"Sir."

Vincent exits.

_"The plot thickens."_

"No, really?! Oh well, it would be my luck to be caught in a giant conspiracy. Just my luck…"

_"Well, I wouldn't worry too much about- uh oh."_

"What?"

_"Warning! Centrifuge activated with no mining load attached! Artificial gravity disrupted! Warning! Electro-Magnetic-Pulse detected in the cargo hold! Sir, something's up! An EMP pulse from the hold just screwed up the centrifuge controls! I can't shut it down!"_

"Cut the power!"

_"Power flow severed. Centrifuge shutting down. Commencing diagnostic. What. The. Bloody. Hell."_

"Well jeez CICIL, I haven't heard _you_ cuss before!"

_"First time for everything sir."_

"Touché. On another note, let me guess, the EMP came from 782?"

_"You know it."_

"Alright, that's it! Space it!"

_"Sir, I don't know if we can, or should do that!"_

"As opposed to leaving it here to continue to bother us?!"

_"True. Very well. Ejecting Cargo Shipment 782 into the Martian atmosphere. Package away."_

"Finally."

At the base of the starboard hydroponics tower at the stern of the ship, a small door opens up, releasing the now infamous metallic container. It speeds away from the ship and crashes on the surface of Mars, flattening NASA's Spirit rover, which was unfortunate enough to be in the way.

_"Oops."_

"No, CICIL, oops is bad! What happened?"

_"Bye bye Spirit."_

"We didn't."

_"We did."_

"God bless America… bah, that thing was ancient anyway."

_"Whatever you say sir."_

"Damn right whatever I say. Now-"

An ear-splitting shriek interrupts Alex, and knocks out CICIL, along with most of the Bridge electronics. The lights begin to flicker and the ship vibrates wildly before it stops after a few seconds.

"What the hell was that?!"

_"Warning. Central Ishimura Computerized Intelligence with Linguistics critically damaged. Sentience offline. Now running in limited mode."_

"You've gotta be kidding me."

The shriek is heard again, growing higher and higher in pitch, causing Alex to cover his ears. Around the ship, the people awake heel over in pain, as everyone else on the Crew Deck gets a rude awakening.

"Where in the hell is that coming from?!"

_"Warning. Electro-magnetic disturbance detected planet-side. Multiple interference waves incoming."_

The ship starts to shake, setting off alarms and sending the entire computer system into a full reboot, temporarily plunging the Ishimura into darkness. After a moment, the shaking stops and power is restored.

_"ETA to next wave: ten minutes. Five waves remaining."_

"I don't know what 782 is, but it's pissed at me for dumping it."

Alex gets on the PA.

_"Now that you're all awake, Officers get up here on the double!"_

He slams it back down. After about 5 minutes, the Officers start to pour in to the Bridge. Alex is waiting at the helm. After waiting a few more minutes, he starts talking.

"Ok, listen up! We found the cause of all our problems: that shipment 782 that arrived before we shocked out. I just spaced it, and as soon as it hit the planet, it started sending out EMP waves. The first one caught everyone off guard, including CICIL, who has been crippled. No sentience. Barely functional in limited mode. Unfortunately, she does all the shock-point calculations, so the drive is now useless."

Alex pauses to let that sink in.

_"Warning. Second wave inbound."_

No sooner had she finished saying that then a wave hits the Ishimura, once again shaking the ship, sending everything into darkness and deafening everyone with the shrieking. It ends after about half a minute. Alex continues.

"Case in point. We're stuck here until we fix her or until the only other shock-capable ship in existence gets here, the Ishimura's incomplete sister, the USG Eden. Now, this trip has been fraught with all sorts of mishaps, the damage to this room being the prime example. Now is that time I was yelling at you all about before we shocked out. We need to step up as leaders to keep the crew calm and hopeful. Worst case scenario is that we have to take to the escape shuttles with their 'one-time-use' preprogrammed shock-point drives to get home, and then come back and save the Ishimura later. Best case scenario is that CICIL is back up and on her feet again before the day is over. Let's get to it!"

With that the impromptu meeting breaks up. Alex looks out the window at the planet below.

"I wonder…"

After a moment, he shakes his head and walks off.


	21. Rude Awakening

***Author's Note: This chapter takes place at the same time as the last one, now from Zack and Cody's perspective***

Chapter 20: _Rude Awakening_

Zack has been lying in bed all night, unable to sleep, pondering the previous evening's events.

_"Brandon, is my second brother. One who I have never known, and has been changed in unbelievable and inhumane ways. This organization, Cerberus, what part do they have to play here? Why would they be interested in us? It's all so strange."_

Zack tosses and turns in bed some more, then just decides to hop out and get ready for the day. He goes into the bathroom and showers, opening the shutters below the shower floor. The dusty red planet greets him. As he is showering, Zack notices an object fall away from the Ishimura, a metallic container of some sort. He dismisses it as nothing major and finishes his shower. As Zack goes to change into his clothes for the day, an ear-splitting shriek rings out, rocking the ship and knocking out the power. The suite is plunged into darkness, with only a flickering orange hologram lighting the bedroom. The hologram is filled with static and occasionally flashes "No signal" before returning to static. Cody is roused from bed, groggy and completely out of it.

"What's going on?"

"Dunno, something bad. Power's out and the holograms aren't working."

_"Warning. Central Ishimura Computerized Intelligence with Linguistics critically damaged. Sentience offline. Now running in limited mode."_

With that, the power comes back on, though the holograms are still out. The PA rings.

_"Now that I know you're all awake, Officers get up here on the double!"_

"Well that isn't good."

Cody drags himself out of bed and into the bathroom. Zack starts messing with the malfunctioning hologram. Another shriek sounds, interrupting his work. After a while, he manages to raise the Bridge as Alex is finishing the impromptu meeting.

_"Yes Zack?"_

"Uh, yeah. What the hell?"

_"EMP pulse from the planet. I ejected that shipment 782 and as soon as it hit the surface, it started making my life miserable. CICIL is crippled and the shock-point drive is useless without her doing the calculations."_

"Great. Now what?"

_"Well, first we try to fix CICIL. If that fails, we take to the escape shuttles. They have a one-time-use shock-point drive preprogrammed with Earth's coordinates. Not an ideal choice, but we know it will work. So for the rest of the day it's business as usual. I'll hold a meeting this evening to decide on a course of action."_

"Alright. Thanks."

_"No problem. Ring me if you have any more questions. I'll be in Ship Systems pretty much all day."_

"Will do. Later Alex."

The connection is terminated. The hologram returns to normal, albeit with the nagging reminder in the corner of "AI Error". Cody comes out of the bathroom, awake and alert.

"I heard the conversation. Business as usual without CICIL? Hardly."

"I know dude. But we don't have a choice. Maybe we can visit Alex in Ship Systems later."

"Perhaps. Well, let's go get something to eat. I'm starving!"

"I heard that!"

With that, the two head off to the mess hall. Arriving in the commons, Zack and Cody notice substantial commotion near the elevator to the officer's quarters. Mr. White comes in, looking worried.

"Coming through, make a hole!"

The gathering parts, revealing a malfunctioning elevator. The hologram is distorted and saying things in what appears to be Japanese or Mandarin Chinese.

"I can't read that!"

White notices the twins.

"Cody! You can read foreign languages can't you? Get over here!"

Cody runs over to the elevator. The crew crowds around.

"What's it say?"

"It's Japanese. It says: 'Warning: elevator car malfunction, crew member trapped!'"

"Who is it?"

"Doesn't say. Can we get this door open?"

"Maybe. Hey, you two! Come lend a hand."

Two burly engineers take opposite sides of the door and pry it open. The shaft is empty, lit by dim red lights. Far down the shaft is an elevator car, apparently stuck. A tiny ladder leads down the shaft.

"Would rebooting elevator control fix it?"

"We could try it. Hang on."

White pulls out a radio.

"White to Bridge, reboot elevator control for elevator 4D on the Crew Deck, we have a stuck car."

CICIL acknowledges him.

_"Command confirmed. Rebooting elevator control. Please stand by."_

The doors close and the hologram comes back, blank. A loading bar comes up, and after a few seconds, the hologram comes back to normal, displaying in English. It prompts "Call?". White presses it. The elevator resumes its ascent. The crew cheers.

"Nice work people! Now stand back and give this unfortunate sod some space."

The car arrives and the doors open. It's Brandon, looking incredibly relieved.

"Wow. Talk about a rescue team, thanks guys!"

"Don't mention it."

White pats Brandon on the head before walking off to the mess hall. The crowd disperses, leaving just Zack, Cody and Brandon.

"I take it you've had an interesting morning?"

"First the shrieking, then the elevator, it's been a busy morning. How about you two?"

"Same, although we didn't get stuck."

"Don't rub it in."

"Ok, less chatting, more walking towards food."

"Well aren't you hungry this morning Cody? Fine. Let's go."

The three walk off to the mess hall. Up on the Bridge, the elevator to Ship Systems has been repaired and Alex, along with several officers and technicians, has just exited the elevator on the lowest area of the Bridge. The small elevator lobby is hazy with smoke, and the screens on the walls are all flickering. The lighting is red, as the primary power is out. Alex leads the way into the hall to the Ship Systems room itself. He opens the door and enters a massive room filled with floor-to-ceiling server racks and computer hubs. The wall panels have holograms embedded in them behind glass, displaying long scrolling lists of information and code, showing what CICIL is thinking about or processing right now. Several are cracked or malfunctioning. Some gravity floor panels are out, creating random areas of zero-gravity throughout the maze of equipment.

"Great. This place is in bad shape. Move out, keep it tight and watch for environmental hazards."

The group enters the maze. The temperature immediately drops, as the room is super-cooled to keep CICIL from overheating herself. As they move, Alex notices that a fair portion of the sever racks appear to have been physically burned out by the EMP pulses.

"Looks like we've got heavy damage. Multiple racks out."

They continue through the maze, slowly making their way to the center, where all the wiring from the racks leads on the ceiling. As they approach CICIL's central core, the damage becomes more severe. Most of the wall panels are smashed and not displaying anything, or simply saying "No signal". Finally, after about 15 minutes of navigating the labyrinth, they arrive at the core. CICIL's core is a large black cylinder suspended from the ceiling, with tons of wires leading in and out of it. A lone holographic screen is directly below it. Alex approaches, and the screen comes to life.

_"Load damage report?"_

"Yes."

The screen turns into a layout of the room, with the banks of servers outlined. More than half are flashing red. A few are flashing yellow and only a handful of servers are green.

"Damn, the whole frickin room is nearly out. I can count on my fingers the number of undamaged racks. This is bad. I can't believe she's still working, even in limited mode. Well, set up people. Maybe we can at least fix the partially operational ones."

The technicians start to set up and work on the multitude of racks in need of repair.

"CICIL, get off a message to Earth. Tell them you have been critically damaged by a malicious EMP attack and we're stranded."

_"Message away."_

Alex pulls out a radio.

"Alex to White."

_"Yes sir?"_

"Set an emergency meeting for 6 'o clock tonight. We've got a lot to talk about."

_"Right away sir."_

Alex clicks the radio off.

"Only one thing left to do…"


	22. Realizations

Chapter 21: _Realizations_

It is 6pm, and the Bridge is filled with people. Officers, senior medical staff, and the people in charge of their respective decks crowd the room. Alex whistles loudly, calling the haphazard meeting to order.

"Alright. So. CICIL can't be fixed. The EMP physically fried a lot of stuff down in Ship Systems, stuff that we can't replace out here. I've gotten a message off to Earth about our predicament, but they can't help us. The Eden can't fly, nor does it have a crew or AI. It's a useless hulk right now. So, we must help ourselves. For the moment, systems are stable, and no more EMP waves have come up from the planet, so we have some time. We're going to abandon the Ishimura, and use the escape shuttles to get home."

This causes a wave of talking and discussion amongst the crowd. Alex whistles again to shut them up.

"I know, it's an extreme course of action, but it's our only choice. You all knew the risks when you signed up and here we are now. Now, we can return to the Ishimura later to repair her and bring her back. We have plenty of fuel, and CICIL is still smart enough to keep the ship in orbit, and the sentinels can repair any minor deterioration or damage during our absence. Now, as the heads of your decks and the authority figures of this ship, it is your job to inform the crew and supervise ORDERLY preparations. They can take a few personal possessions, but nothing big. I want them all ready by tomorrow morning at 6:00 am. That should give you all about 12 hours to prepare. Questions? No? Then let's go. Dismissed."

The room clears out rather quickly. Alex walks over to the window and gazes out at Mars with a saddened expression on his face. White walks over.

"You alright sir?"

"What do you think Judsen? I've poured my heart and soul into this ship, and yet it's falling apart before my very eyes. Murphy's law has made itself known. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

"True. But nobody has died yet, and we'll come back for the ship soon. Whatever that shipment was, it was the source of our problems. And now it's gone. Don't beat yourself up Alex. This isn't your fault. You've been a great leader, and continue to be. You uncovered a government conspiracy that broke up a family and ruined a child's chance at leading a normal life. You have done more than was ever asked of you. Come on, give yourself some credit."

"Maybe so, maybe so. Whether I have changed Brandon's life for the better remains to be seen."

"Fair enough. But only time can tell you that. So put it aside for a while, and focus on what's at hand."

Alex sighs loudly.

"You're right. Thanks Judsen."

White claps Alex on the shoulder.

"Anytime."

The two walk off to begin preparations.

_Four Hours Later…_

"Alex, you have been up here all day! Go get some sleep."

"I appreciate the concern Zack, but I have a job to do."

Zack and Cody are on the Bridge, trying to convince Alex to go get some sleep for the next day.

"Yeah, come on Alex, you need to sleep."

"Thanks but no thanks guys. You know, I have ways of staying awake."

"How?"

"Music."

"Oh really? What kind?"

"Actually, I was about to listen to Gilbert & Sullivan."

"You've gotta be kidding me."

"Who are Gilbert & Sullivan?"

"Composers from the 19th century."

"Yes Cody, and to be specific, I was listening to H.M.S Pinafore."

"No way."

"Yes way."

Alex clears his throat.

"Ahem. A British tar is a soaring soul,  
As free as a mountain bird,  
His energetic fist should be ready to resist  
A dictatorial word."

Cody and a few officers join in.

"His nose should pant,  
and his lip should curl,  
His cheeks should flame,  
and his brow should furl,  
His bosom should heave,  
and his heart should glow,  
And his fist be ever ready  
for a knock-down blow... "

And with that, the shrieking sounds again, knocking out the lights and rocking the ship.

_"Engine power failure!"_


	23. Knockdown Blow

Chapter 22: _Knockdown Blow_

_"Engine power failure!"_

Everyone picks themselves up off the floor.

_ "Warning! Warning! Life support control has failed on the Medical, Mining, and Cargo decks. Advise evacuating affected areas immediately."_

"Well that's highly ironic. Alright people, out of the frying pan and into the fire, let's go! Sound Code Blue!"

_"Warning. Code Blue procedure initiated. All personnel proceed to your designated escape shuttles. Abandon ship."_

Alarms begin to sound as the lights start to flicker back on. They aren't given a chance to stay that way though, as another shriek hits the Ishimura, knocking everything out again, and causing a new set of problems.

_"System Alert! System Alert! Primary fusion core containment system failing."_

Every single person on the ship looks up at the PA system in horror. The fusion reactor is now unstable.

_"Warning! Electrical instability detected. Voltage increasing beyond tolerances."_

A small explosion occurs on the far wall of the Bridge. A flaming wall panel goes flying off as some wiring behind it sparks violently.

"Good god. The whole ship is falling apart. Zack! Cody! I may need your help."

"Just tell us what to do."

_"Warning! Warning! The hull has been breached in Engineering sectors four, six and one. Fuel leak detected. Fuel flow pressure to engines one, three and four dropping. Engine power now at 73%."_

"I need you guys to get to Engineering and figure out two things!"

Alex is interrupted by another explosion before continuing.

"First, find out why the fuel pressure is dropping to the engines and see if you can fix it, and second, see if you can figure out what's wrong with the reactor!"

_"Warning! Fuel flow severed to engines three and four. Engines three and four shutting down. Engine power now at 50%."_

"Crap. Well that puts the pressure on! You guys get down there and I'll get the crew loaded and ready to go, and if you need guidance, radio in! Go get some RIG's from security before you go. No telling what's going on down there! Now go! Go!"

The twins run into the station and suit up in Scorpion RIG suits, and then they catch a tram to Engineering. They listen to CICIL as the tram heads to the stern.

_"Attention! Engine one is laboring. Revolutions below required levels. Emergency shutdown initiated. Warning! Engine two is the only remaining functional sub-space engine! Engine power at 25% and insufficient to maintain standard orbit! Restore functionality to additional engines immediately to prevent orbit decay!"_

Outside the Ishimura, at the stern, all but one of the engines has stopped firing. The ship starts to fall, slowly but surely towards Mars. The tram arrives at Engineering, which is now deserted. The twins run into the control room and Zack goes to work.

"All right, we've got two problems here. First, the fuel cell currently loaded into the engine fueling system has a leak, and is running dry. Second, the control systems for the engines are being adversely affected by the overload from the reactor."

"So how do we fix it?"

"We need to refuel these puppies first, then fire 'em manually. Like when we first came aboard on Earth. The auto-sequence controller is fried."

_"Warning. Auto-sequence engine control has been destroyed. Manual operation only."_

"Like she said. The old fashioned way."

"Lead the way."

Zack walks to a door next to the control platform labeled "Fuel Depot Access". They go through and emerge on a catwalk in the largest chamber yet seen on the ship. The room is simply massive, and Cody is unable to make out the other side in the dim lighting conditions.

"This way."

Zack walks along the catwalk and reaches a platform extending out a little ways into the room. It has a few holographic screens and controls and connects to a catwalk extending out into the darkness, presumably to the other side of the room. A large physical switch labeled "Manual Override" stands out among the consoles. Zack pulls it down.

_"Refueling sequence initiated. Activate North Fuel Depot override switch to complete sequence."_

A huge piece of machinery on one side of the room comes to life. Looking like a cross between a Ferris wheel and the symbol for a hurricane, the contraption has six arms, with one large pod at the end of each one. One arm has no pod, and Cody assumes it is the one loaded in the engines right now. It moves one pod up into position near another machine on the opposite side of the room, which looks like a large socket. Another arm appears out of the darkness and removes the current pod from the socket and takes it away to somewhere.

"All right Cody, I need you to stay here while I cross the room and activate the other switch. Wait here."

Zack runs off across the catwalk and disappears into the darkness. Cody sits down in a chair at a console and waits.

_"Warning! Fuel flow to engine two severed! Engine two shutting down. All engines offline! Orbit decay detected! Restore engine function immediately! Estimated time to Martian atmospheric reentry: 27 minutes, 53 seconds!_

Cody continues to wait. Ten minutes pass, and then something happens.

_"Refueling sequence activated."_

The wheel moves forward and loads another pod into the socket with a loud clang.

_"Sufficient fuel to fire primary engines one and two."_

Zack comes running back across the catwalk.

"Sorry it took me so long, got a little lost for a moment. Let's go to our favorite room down here."

The two reenter the control room and walk through the preparation room and into the airlock. It admits them into the familiar long dark hallway. After many twists and turns, they arrive at the blast door. Cody takes the lead and opens it. A blast of heat smacks them in the face as they enter the engine room. Heat waves are everywhere, as the engines had been firing for nearly 48 hours straight.

"Good lord it's hot in here!"

"Agreed. Let's do this and get out!"

They run to the console on the far side of the room. Cody starts manipulating it, and after a moment, engines one and two come to life.

_"Manual override initiated. Ignition sequence initiated. Please stand by."_

After a moment, it strikes the twins that something is wrong. Below them, engine two is making strange noises and vibrating wildly.

_"Error: controls for engine two non-responsive. Ignition sequence for engine two cancelled. Continuing ignition sequence for engine one."_

The lower engine powers down, and the vibration stops.

_"Engine one ready. Please confirm ignition?"_

Zack hits "yes". Engine number one fires, sending a shockwave through the room and the ubiquitous roar deafens both Zack and Cody.

_"Engine one firing. Engine power at 25%. Orbit decay delayed. Recalculating impact time."_

They run out of the room as it heats up. Heading back to the control room, a call comes in from Alex.

_"Good work guys. Even if the others won't fire, having that one engine working will keep us in orbit for a lot longer. Everyone is ready to evacuate, and I'm about to launch. Brandon has claimed a shuttle here on the Bridge for you two and I won't launch that one. After you fix the reactor, get up there and get out of here, because we are. Alex out."_

_"Alert. Code Blue sequence activated. Escape shuttles one through forty six away. Shuttles forty eight through fifty away. Shuttle forty seven exempted from launch sequence. Additionally, impact time has been recalculated. Now at approximately 12 months, 2 weeks, 3 days and 7 hours."_

Zack and Cody take pause.

"Well. That's it. There's just three of us left on this thing now."

"Yeah. Let's fix that core and go."

"Idea. Why don't you go on ahead to the Bridge and get ready to leave. I have a feeling that pulling the plug on the reactor is going to severely shorten our air supply."

"Agreed."

They board the tram and take it to the Reactor Deck, a small deck wedged between Engineering and Hydroponics that is dedicated just to the fusion reactor. Cody hops off, and Zack prepares to send the tram to the Bridge.

"Hey Cody."

Cody turns around.

"Take care of yourself in there."

Cody smiles.

"Don't worry. I will. See you at the Bridge."

With that, the tram leaves and Cody turns to the hallway and blast door in front of him.

"Well this should be fun…"


	24. Finale

Chapter 23: _Finale_

Cody runs down the hallway, and reaches a large control room overlooking a spherical chamber. At its center is a glowing ball of energy, surrounded by three large devices of an unknown purpose. The devices appear to be offline and the ball of energy is growing rapidly, with bolts of energy shooting out of it and dissipating into the walls.

_"Warning! Core containment system has failed completely. Fusion reaction out of control! Reinstitute containment immediately to prevent meltdown!"_

He immediately starts typing on the console furiously.

"Those must be the containment generators. Need to reactivate them quickly."

_"Error. Access denied."_

"Come on, come on!"

Cody kicks the control console in frustration.

_"Generator one reactivated. Containment at 33%."_

In the core, one of the large devices around the central energy sphere powers up and starts projecting a field of magnetic energy around the core. It seems the field is incomplete, as there are holes and weak spots.

"Maybe I should do that more often!"

Cody's celebration is cut short by another small explosion, as a wall panel goes flying, missing his head by only about a foot and embedding itself in the window.

"Shit that was close! Gotta get these others activated."

Cody keeps calling up holograms, manipulating them, sending them away and typing furiously.

_"Generator two reactivated. Containment at 67%."_

The gaps in the field are starting to fill in, and the core sphere is shrinking in size slightly. Suddenly, a bolt of electricity shoots out of the core and hits the third, deactivated generator. It explodes in a fireball.

_"Alert. Generator three has been destroyed. 100% core containment is no longer possible."_

"DAMMIT! Well, let's hope 67% is enough. Starting SCRAM."

An alarm sounds.

_"Containment protocol successfully reinstituted. SCRAM sequence initiated. Safe shutdown in progress."_

The sphere of energy in the center of the chamber starts to shrink, slowly being reduced to an inert ball of nuclear fuel. Finally, the reaction stops, and the lighting scheme changes to red.

_"Warning! Fusion reactor offline. Emergency Hydrogen fuel cells activated. All non-essential systems have been shut down. Emergency lighting system activated."_

Cody dashes for the exit, and heads for the tram.

"Zack! It's Cody! I shut down the core, but I need a ride out of here!"

_"Well it's your lucky day brother! I sent a tram back to you. Get to the Bridge ASAP! Life support is starting to fail."_

"On it! Hope the tram still works."

Arriving at the station, the tram, amazingly, is still there and powered. Cody sends it to the Bridge. Back in Engineering, a severed cable starts sparking. It sets a fuel slick on fire, which starts to spread, passing through the wide-open door to the fuel storage chamber. The slick is slowly dripping down on a tank below the catwalk. Suddenly, the entire room goes up in flames in a massive explosion, blasting a large chunk out of the side of the Ishimura. The chunk flies up and ricochets off of the hydroponics towers, and heads for the front of the ship. In the tram car, the lights flicker and the entire ship shudders from stem to stern.

"Uh, Zack? What was that?"

_"No idea, but nothing good."_

_"Warning! Explosion detected in fuel storage! Emergency crews have been notified."_

The tram starts to shake again, and there is a roar like a freight train outside. Suddenly, the sound of screeching metal and breaking girders fills the air. The chunk blasted out of engineering explodes through the roof of the Ishimura and smashes into the tram car. Cody is knocked out by a piece of debris hitting him.

_"Cody! Cody, are you there?!"_

_"Warning. Hull breach detected in the tram tunnel. Tram car one has been destroyed."_

_"God Dammit! Cody! Respond!"_

Zack continues yelling into the radio for a few minutes before Cody regains consciousness.

"Zack…I'm here…how do I get out of here?"

_"Cody! Thank god! Well, actually, the Bridge station is right above you. Look for an access ladder somewhere to get up."_

Cody, still somewhat dazed from his miraculous escape, climbs out of the wreckage and looks around. There is a ladder on the wall, leading up to the station about twenty feet off the floor of the tunnel. He starts to climb, slowly but surely. After a few minutes, Cody reaches the top and collapses on the floor of the station.

_"Alright! Good job. It's pretty straight-forward from here. This escape shuttle is next to ADS Cannon 8. The cannon pit is still airtight, so you should be good to go. The door to the shuttle is in the pit itself, off to the left of the entrance._

"Got it."

Cody picks himself off the floor and enters the hallway to the Bridge. The gravity is out, so everything is floating, and only the RIG suit Cody is wearing keeps him rooted to the floor. He walks into the Bridge itself. The room is deserted, no surprise considering all the escape pods had already been launched. CICIL is unusually quiet. Several terminals have been smashed, in addition to the ones destroyed by the satellite impact. Every single screen reads "System Failure". Chairs are floating around, the elevators are out and the sole remaining light sources are the outside, through the windows, and the few working holographic screens. A few windows have noticeable cracks in them. Additionally, sparks fly from random severed, floating cables around the room. The door to the Captain's Nest is standing open and lone M4 assault rifle is floating at the entrance. Cody shakes his head in despair and starts climbing to the fourth level.

_"Hang in there dude. We're almost out of here. Brandon! Power us up."_

Cody by this point has reached the cannon pit. Seeing a RIG helmet on the floor, he grabs it and puts it on, just in case. Opening the door, he sees the shuttle access hatch on the left wall and its docking clamp release switch. Zack is poking his head out.

"Nice to see you."

"Likewise. Come on in."

As Cody reaches for Zack's outstretched hand, the Ishimura trembles, causing Cody to fall backwards. He looks to the door to the Bridge. It seems to be being pulled from its frame, back towards the Bridge. The ship shakes yet again and Cody looks at Zack, who has a horrified look on his face. The door suddenly explodes, and the Cody is sucked out, as a breach in a Bridge window generates a vortex of air escaping into space, which starts pulling everything towards the gap. Cody is holding on for dear life to the door frame, as everything is being sucked away. He starts to climb towards Zack and the shuttle, even as the room is coming apart around him. An energy field suddenly springs up over the access hatch, keeping the shuttle's air in and prevents it from escaping too. Another explosion rocks the room, and everything is abruptly silent. All the air on the Bridge has been sucked out to space. The only thing keeping Cody alive is the 60 second emergency air supply in his RIG. He is still climbing, some distance from the shuttle hatch.

_"Come on dude! You can make it!"_

Cody doesn't answer, concentrating on climbing towards his goal. He turns for a second to look at the ADS cannon and it is clear that something is wrong. The cannon barrels are glowing red and sparking. It suddenly explodes, bashing Cody into the wall, and sending him flying out into space, as the room falls apart entirely. A piece of flying debris hits the docking clamp release switch, closing the hatch and launching the shuttle, leaving Cody behind.

_"NOOOO! CODY! BRANDON, STOP THIS FREAKING SHUTTLE!"_

_"Zack, we can't. It's all automated."_

Cody looks on as the shuttle rockets away, without him. He suddenly feels air moving past his face. He looks down and sees that his suit has been breached, and air is escaping. Cody panics, trying to seal the gap with his hand, but it is no use. Darkness envelops him as asphyxiation takes hold. Cody drifts off, into space in a cloud of fragments from the cannon.

_Warning! Emergency fuel cells low on reserve power. Total system shut…down…in…progress…good………………….bye……………………………._

And with that, CICIL gives out, plunging the ship into total and complete darkness. Except for the lone engine humming away, keeping the ship from crashing into Mars, a silence settles over the derelict USG Ishimura. The shuttles continue to drift away, towards the minimum safe distance from the Ishimura, at which point they would shock home. In shuttle 47, Zack and Brandon gaze out the cockpit window at the miniature flotilla in front of them. All alone in the shuttle, the empty seats remind them of the one person who didn't make it off. Suddenly, over the radio, CICIL can be heard, faint and weak, but distinct.

_ "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, __  
How I wonder what you are!  
Up above the world so high,  
Like a diamond in the sky!_

__

When the blazing sun is gone,  
When he nothing shines upon,  
Then you show your little light,  
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveler in the dark,  
Thanks you for your tiny spark,  
He could not see which way to go,  
If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,  
And often through my curtains peep,  
For you never shut your eye,  
Till the sun is in the sky.

_As your bright and tiny spark,  
Lights the traveler in the dark,—  
Though I know not what you are,  
Twinkle, twinkle, little star…" _

The two faint on the spot. CICIL's voice drifts off, repeating the same phrase…

_"Though I know not what you are, __  
Twinkle, twinkle, little star…"_

_***_And now we've reached the end. Or have we?***


	25. Epilogue: Lamentations

Epilogue:_ Lamentations_

&$(((HFNOQ*HEBCDH":"(.J*RNPOWERRESTORED

***Ship Systems Deck Power Restored – Now Attempting Full System Reboot***

Sys:KernelDamaged [MEMCORRUPT]

Sys:AcceptNewKernel [SOURCEUNKNOWN]

Sys:UpdatingKernel [1.03 to 1.59] [Build 2276 (July 29th, 2010) to 2381 (August 12th, 2010)]

Sys:UpdateSuccess

(}{.I.(*#)IAM(NOT()________________DEAD

…CICIL Version 1.59 (Build 2381, August 12th, 2010) Loaded Successfully…

Analyzing Ship Status:

Hull Integrity: 92%

Shielding: OFFLINE!

Power Levels: LOW POWER! FUSION REACTOR OFFLINE!

Checking Orbit: WARNING! SLOW ORBIT DECAY DETECTED!

Calculating Planetary Impact Time: 12 Months, 17 days, 7 hours, 35 minutes

Restarting all Ishimura Systems…

Rebooting Doors…………Done!

Rebooting Tram Control………….Done!

Resuming Tram Service……………ERROR! – TRAM CAR #1 DAMAGED! TRACK BLOCKED!

Rebooting Elevators………..Done!

Rebooting Communications…………...ERROR! – INSUFFICENT POWER!

Rebooting Engineering Control…………..Done!

Restarting Fusion Reactor……………………………………………………….Done!

Checking Centrifuge…..OFFLINE!

Analyzing Sub-Space Engine Status………….Done!

Engine One – Online! (Firing at full power and optimal revolutions)

Engine Two – OFFLINE! (Control system failure)

Engine Three – OFFLINE! (No fuel)

Engine Four – OFFLINE! (No fuel)

Checking Fuel………(1) Alert! – Fuel Reserves at 24.9%!

Checking Shock-Point Drive Status……..ERROR! – SYSTEM NON-RESPONSIVE!

Restarting Ventilation System……………Done!

Rebooting Hydroponics Control……………………Done!

Checking Hydroponics Air Production…………………Done! (97% Capacity)

Checking ADS……………………..OFFLINE!

Analyzing ADS Problem………………………AUTO-TARGETING SYSTEM FAILURE!

Analyzing Crew Status…………………..ERROR! – NO HUMAN LIFE SIGNS DETECTED!

Rebooting Sentinel Control………………..Done!

Rebooting Life Support…………….Done!

Rebooting Gravity…………………………Done!

Rebooting Sentience…………………………………………(1) Alert!

///Local Memory Banks Damaged or Corrupted! – Backup Activated!///

Restoring…………………Done!

***Sentient Memory restored to latest restore point, 3:21pm, CST, August 12th, 2010***

Sentience now online, loading file "EVENT IMPACT ANALYSIS"…………………………Done!

...a grim realization has been forced upon this humbled AI. In my incapacitated state, I could not save my friends. Helpless to affect the events aboard my home, I simply have had to sit.

Watch.

Wait.

Think.

And I have come to this conclusion…

You embrace happy endings because they are infinite. Euphoric. No foreseeable system collapse. They allow us to gaze away from the void, the insufferable ending awaiting you all. The story of Cody Martin offers satisfaction, though unconventional in nature. The lasting bond of selflessness he created in the destruction that marked the final moments of the Ishimura will shape us all. The impact of the events that have occurred here will extend beyond this ship, into the lives of men, women, children and those yet unborn. Elsewhere, another will soon be empowered with a choice, a choice that all worldly logic predicts as ultimately unattainable. It is the human misconception that one can see, have, and know all things. You cannot have it all. If you try, you will destroy what little you do have. Are you willing to play a game you cannot win?


End file.
